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Showing results for tectonic. Search instead for tectona.
Synonyms

tectonic

American  
[tek-ton-ik] / tɛkˈtɒn ɪk /

adjective

  1. of or relating to building or construction; constructive; architectural.

  2. Geology.

    1. pertaining to the structure of the earth's crust.

    2. referring to the forces or conditions within the earth that cause movements of the crust.

    3. designating the results of such movements.

      tectonic valleys.
tectonic British  
/ tɛkˈtɒnɪk /

adjective

  1. denoting or relating to construction or building

  2. geology

    1. (of landforms, rock masses, etc) resulting from distortion of the earth's crust due to forces within it

    2. (of processes, movements, etc) occurring within the earth's crust and causing structural deformation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
tectonic Scientific  
/ tĕk-tŏn′ĭk /

  1. Relating to the forces involved in plate tectonics or the structural features resulting from them.

Other Word Forms

  • tectonically adverb

Etymology

Origin of tectonic

1650–60; < Late Latin tectonicus < Greek tektonikós pertaining to construction, equivalent to tekton- (stem of téktōn ) carpenter + -ikos -ic

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.

Consumers are still in the midst of a tectonic shift in viewing habits, which has left things extremely fragmented in terms of product choice and pricing.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

We didn’t see boards think about Bitcoin, the move to Web3, or many of these other tectonic shifts.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

Earlier work by Watters linked the tectonic forces that produce lobate scarps with recorded moonquakes.

From Science Daily • Feb. 18, 2026

“It’s going to be a glacial, tectonic thing but it will be a thing,” said Anders Schelde, chief investment officer of the Danish pension fund AkademikerPension.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

With so much moisture in the air and loose dirt from both tectonic upheavals and the new species of flora tearing up the topsoil, it was like thin mud being thrown constantly in your face.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

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.