tropical

[ trop-i-kuhl for 1-4, 6; troh-pi-kuhl for 5 ]
See synonyms for tropical on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. pertaining to, characteristic of, occurring in, or inhabiting the tropics, especially the humid tropics: tropical flowers.

  2. very hot and humid: a tropical climate.

  1. designed for use in the tropics or in very hot weather (often used in combination): tropical-weight woolens.

  2. of or relating to either or both of the astronomical tropics.

  3. pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of a trope or tropes; metaphorical.

noun
  1. tropicals, lightweight clothing, suitable for warm, especially summer weather.

Origin of tropical

1
First recorded in 1520–30; tropic + -al1

Other words from tropical

  • trop·i·cal·i·ty, noun
  • trop·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • hy·per·trop·i·cal, adjective
  • non·trop·i·cal, adjective
  • non·trop·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • un·trop·i·cal, adjective
  • un·trop·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby tropical

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tropical in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tropical

tropical

/ (ˈtrɒpɪkəl) /


adjective
  1. situated in, used in, characteristic of, or relating to the tropics

  2. (of weather) very hot, esp when humid

  1. rhetoric of or relating to a trope

Derived forms of tropical

  • tropicality, noun
  • tropically, adverb

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