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nautical

American  
[naw-ti-kuhl, not-i-] / ˈnɔ tɪ kəl, ˈnɒt ɪ- /

adjective

  1. of or relating to sailors, ships, or navigation.

    nautical terms.
    Synonyms:
    seagoing, maritime, marine
nautical British  
/ ˈnɔːtɪkəl /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or involving ships, navigation, or sailors

"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

Other Word Forms

  • nauticality noun
  • nautically adverb
  • nonnautical adjective
  • nonnautically adverb
  • unnautical adjective

Etymology

Origin of nautical

1545–55; < Latin nautic ( us ) pertaining to ships or sailors (< Greek nautikós, equivalent to naû ( s ) ship + -tikos -tic ) + -al 1

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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.

They can travel around 40 nautical miles at 25 knots before they need an hour to fully recharge.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

On Sunday lunchtime, it was 50 nautical miles southwest of Malta.

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

On Wednesday, Thailand's navy said it was providing emergency assistance after a Thai-flagged vessel was hit 11 nautical miles north of Oman, causing a fire on board.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

A ship was in distress, roughly 20 nautical miles off the coast from the city of Galle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

There wasn’t even yet an agreed length for a nautical mile.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

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.