subtropical

American  

[suhb-trop-i-kuhl] / sʌbˈtrɒp ɪ kəl /

adjective

1. bordering on the tropics; nearly tropical.

2. pertaining to or occurring in a region between tropical and temperate; subtorrid; semitropical.

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noun

1. a subtropical plant.

subtropical Scientific  

/ sŭb-trŏp′ĭ-kəl /

1. Relating to the regions of the Earth bordering on the tropics, just north of the Tropic of Cancer or just south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Subtropical regions are the warmest parts of the two Temperate Zones.

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Etymology

Origin of subtropical

First recorded in 1835–45; sub- + tropical

Example Sentences

"It fuels tropical and subtropical storms and exacerbates ongoing sea-ice loss in the polar regions."

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

Scorpion stings are an often overlooked public health problem, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions.

From Science Daily • Feb. 18, 2026

“This system will be drawing up copious amounts of subtropical moisture from the south,” Bryan Allegretto wrote in the weather blog Palisades Tahoe.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

With its Bronze Age origins, Ancient Roman traces, Byzantine and Norman monuments and subtropical flair, Bari makes for a fine contrast with the Renaissance grandeur and contemporary design of central and northern Italian towns.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

This is a tropical or subtropical insect, inhabiting South and Central America and Mexico, and in the United States normally restricted to the Southwest.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson