adjective
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relating to, characterized by, or affected by tides
a tidal estuary
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dependent on the state of the tide
a tidal ferry
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(of a glacier) reaching the sea and discharging floes or icebergs
Other Word Forms
- nontidal adjective
- tidally adverb
- untidal adjective
Etymology
Origin of tidal
Explanation
Anything tidal is related to the regular rise and fall of the sea level due to gravitational forces. A marine biologist might study the effects of tidal patterns on local sea life. Tidal conditions are caused by many things, from the rotation of the Earth to the position of the Moon, and tidal effects can be seen not just in the ocean tide itself, but in rivers, lakes, and currents, and even on the Earth's surface. A common name for a tsunami is a "tidal wave," although these earthquake-caused surges of ocean water don't actually have any connection to tides.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And so when that case doesn’t break through, we blame that person for their case not breaking through, as opposed to the larger tidal wave.
From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026
The tidal Scheldt river estuary is the main maritime access route to Antwerp port, along with several narrower canals primarily used for inland navigation.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
Another is that it was a tidal disruption event, in which a black hole thousands of times more massive than the Sun tears apart a star that ventured too close.
From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026
Others see the sea change as less a legal tsunami than a tidal cultural shift — one jurors in New Mexico and California are riding, not speaking into existence.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026
Before coming into range, however, the whales vanished beneath the surface, and their towering tidal wave continued on without them.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
