of, living in, or produced by the ocean.
oceanic currents.
Oceanography. of or relating to the region of water lying above the bathyal, abyssal, and hadal zones of the sea bottom.
immensely large; vast.
an oceanic expanse of stars.
(initial capital letter) of or relating to Oceania, its peoples, or their languages.
of, relating to, or belonging to this group of languages
of or relating to Oceania
of or relating to the ocean
living in the depths of the ocean beyond the continental shelf at a depth exceeding 200 metres
oceanic fauna
huge or overwhelming
(of geological formations) of volcanic origin, arising from the ocean
oceanic islands
Relating to the ocean.
Relating to the ocean waters that lie beyond the continental shelf and exceed 200 m (656 ft) in depth.
Compare neritic See more at epipelagic zone
First recorded in 1650–60; from Medieval Latin ōceanicus, equivalent to Latin ōcean(us) + -icus adjective suffix; see origin at ocean, -ic
Things that have something to do with the ocean are oceanic. Oceanic water comes from the sea, and oceanic study focuses on creatures that live in the ocean and other ocean-related topics. An oceanic vessel is a fancy way of referring to a ship that sails on the sea, and oceanic tides are the constantly rising and falling levels of ocean water. You can also use this adjective to mean, "as enormous as the ocean," like an oceanic success or an oceanic pile of work to do before the end of the day. Oceanic comes from the Greek okeanos, which in ancient Greece referred to an imagined "endless river surrounding the land."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Scientists don’t know too much about the cumulative effects of a prolonged warm oceanic heat wave.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
"Glass eels are mesmerising, almost translucent - an adaptation to oceanic migration."
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Their vibrant, jam-packed settings depict anything from an oceanic rave to a rainbow-hued big top performance to a joyride through the cosmos.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
As phytoplankton grow, they remove large quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, making this region the world's largest oceanic sink for the climate warming gas.
From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2026
When he was done, a long steady oceanic swell of exhaustion began to push him under.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
