volcanic
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, produced by, or characterized by the presence of volcanoes
a volcanic region
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suggestive of or resembling an erupting volcano
a volcanic era
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another word for extrusive
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of volcanic
Explanation
If something is volcanic, it's violently explosive, like the volcanic eruption from a mountain or a two-year-old's volcanic temper tantrum after skipping his afternoon nap. Use this adjective to describe anything related to volcanoes, like volcanic ash and rock left behind after a volcanic eruption, or the volcanic activity picked up by a scientist's equipment. It's also a great way to talk about emotions that are (figuratively, at least) as volatile as a volcano. If your sister's mood is volcanic, you'll want to steer clear of her. The source of both volcanic and volcano is the Roman god of fire, Vulcan.
Vocabulary lists containing volcanic
Can You Dig It? Words for Dirt and Soil
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Pacific Islands - Introductory
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Pacific Islands - Middle School and High School
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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.
The views provide a close look at the Chajnantor plateau within the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
The volcanic island is surrounded by reefs, white-sand beaches, and turquoise lagoons, offering Gibson an extraordinary level of privacy far removed from Hollywood.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Rosemary and Peter Grant, a married pair of evolutionary biologists who studied songbirds on Daphne Major, a small volcanic island in the Galápagos archipelago, are the subjects of Jonathan Weiner’s “The Beak of the Finch.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Big Bend, bordering Mexico in West Texas, features volcanic dikes, dinosaur bones and stunning canyon views.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
What hand, Darwin asked, had guided the creation of such different varieties of finches on those distant volcanic islands or made small armadillos out of giant precursors on the plains of South America?
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
