Polynesia

American  

[pol-uh-nee-zhuh, -shuh] / ˌpɒl əˈni ʒə, -ʃə /

noun

1. one of the three principal divisions of Oceania, comprising those island groups in the Pacific Ocean lying east of Melanesia and Micronesia and extending from the Hawaiian Islands south to New Zealand.

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Polynesia British  

/ ˌpɒlɪˈniːʒə, -ʒɪə /

noun

1. one of the three divisions of islands in the Pacific, the others being Melanesia and Micronesia: includes Samoa, Society, Marquesas, Mangareva, Tuamotu, Cook, and Tubuai Islands, and Tonga

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Polynesia Cultural  

1. Group of islands in the central and southern Pacific Ocean, including the islands of the state of Hawaii and the islands of French Polynesia. Tahiti and Samoa are in Polynesia, which means “many islands.”

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Etymology

Origin of Polynesia

C18: via French from _poly- + Greek nēsos island

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Polynesia

Like the Florida storyline, the French Polynesia study is about going back, trying to relocate a spectacular example and finding out what it means for the resurgence of sharks in general.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

In Borneo, a mythic spider brings forth life by feeding a tree; in Polynesia, spider-silk ladders connect heaven and earth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

The government of French Polynesia said she had done all this without telling authorities of her possible exposure to hantavirus.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

Authorities held an emergency meeting on Sunday and decided not to allow the woman now isolating on Pitcairn to re-enter French Polynesia.

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

In short, Polynesia furnishes us with a convincing example of environmentally related diversification of human societies in operation.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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