topical

[ top-i-kuhl ]

adjective

1. relating to or dealing with matters of current or local interest:

   a topical reference.

2. relating to the subject of a discourse, composition, or the like.
3. relating to or in a particular place; local:

   The themes chosen for World Meteorological Day reflect topical weather, climate, or water-related issues.

4. Medicine/Medical. of, relating to, or applied externally to a particular part of the body; local:

   a topical anesthetic.

noun

1. Philately. any of a collection of different stamps treating the same subject.

topical

/ ˈtɒpɪkəl; ˌtɒpɪˈkælɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or constituting current affairs
2. relating to a particular place; local
3. of or relating to a topic or topics
4. (of a drug, ointment, etc) for application to the body surface; local

Derived Forms

• topicality, noun
• ˈtopically, adverb

Other Words From

• top·i·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of topical¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Greek topik(ós) “local, pertaining to commonplaces” ( topo-, -ic ) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

"I can not praise the hospice movement enough, I want to see more of that end of life care available," he said, adding this was highly topical in the context of the assisted dying bill published yesterday.

From BBC

You’ve had major roles in shows and films that are very topical or political, including the 2017 race-based horror film “Get Out.”

From Los Angeles Times

It’s Halloween—celebrate with some topical spooky stories.

From Slate

The former “Daily Show” senior correspondent and host of “Patriot Act” survived the comedy equivalent of a public execution last year and now, the dark experience is grist for his smart, funny and topical one-hour Netflix special that’s now streaming.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s a lot of jokes in a short amount of time, some very topical.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• newsworthy