Antarctic

American  

[ant-ahrk-tik, -ahr-tik] / æntˈɑrk tɪk, -ˈɑr tɪk /

adjective

1. Sometimes antarctic of, at, or near the South Pole.

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noun

1. the Antarctic, the continent of Antarctica along with the Southern Ocean.

Antarctic British  

/ æntˈɑːktɪk /

noun

1. Antarctica and the surrounding waters

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adjective

1. of or relating to the south polar regions

Antarctic Cultural  

1. The region around the South Pole, Antarctica, and the surrounding ocean.

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Etymology

Origin of Antarctic

First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin antarcticus, from Greek antarktikós; replacing Middle English antartik or directly from Middle French, from Medieval Latin antarticus; see ant-, Arctic

Example Sentences

That hypothesis suggests the mammals sometimes travel to feeding grounds in the Antarctic but then take a different journey home -- ending up in a completely new breeding area.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

The small size of the MV Plancius—another Oceanwide vessel—meant that everyone onboard could get off at each site visited in the Antarctic, whose regions have strict visitation limits by size of group and frequency.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

A 2022 Oceanwide sailing charted an island on the Antarctic coast that had not been mapped formally in more than 100 years.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

To carry out the study, researchers transported about 300 kilograms of Antarctic ice from AWI in Bremerhaven to Dresden for chemical processing.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2026

For the first three weeks of December, the pack was constantly on the move, but each time it edged toward the east, away from the Antarctic Peninsula and its outlying islands, Shackleton became anxious.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Related Words

• chilly
• freezing
• frosty
• frozen
• glacial
• ice-cold
• icy
• wintry