climatic

Also cli·mati·cal,

[klahy-mat-ik]

adjective

1. of or relating to climate.

2. (of ecological phenomena) due to climate rather than to soil or topography.

Other Word Forms

• climatically adverb
• subclimatic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of climatic¹

First recorded in 1820–30; climate + -ic

Example Sentences

The outlook for 2025 confirms "a period of persistently reduced global supply, impacted by climatic challenges and evolving consumption models", it said.

Read more on Barron's

It's part of a "race against time" before these climatic records melt away.

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While filming a climatic scene at San Pedro’s Port of Los Angeles, a stunt car struck a shipping container near the video village area, severely injuring Sonnier, who was pinned underneath it.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The country of nearly 30 million people is often referred to as a mini-Africa because its many ethnic groups and diverse geographic and climatic zones are seen as emblematic of the continent.

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By studying the DNA of ancient oaks, the scientists hope to unravel the genes behind the trees' long life and their ability to survive climatic extremes.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• meteorological 

When To Use

What’s the difference between climatic and climactic?

Climatic means relating to climate—the average atmospheric conditions that prevail in a given region over a long period of time—whether a place is generally cold and wet or hot and dry, for example. Climactic is used to describe things that involve or feel like a climax—the culmination or most intense part of a story or situation.Climactic is used in situations in which a peak of some kind is being reached, such as a climactic ending of a movie. The word anticlimactic is used—perhaps more commonly—to mean the opposite, such as when you expect something exciting to happen but it doesn’t.Climatic is not all that commonly used, especially because it has a much more narrow meaning. It’s typically used in scientific contexts involving climate and weather, like the climatic conditions of a region.You can keep their spellings straight by remembering that climactic comes from climax, so it needs that c in replacement of the x before the ending -tic. Climatic, on the other hand, is basically climate plus the ending -ic (with the e having been dropped).Here’s an example of climatic and climactic used correctly in a sentence.Example: Many people have failed to recognize the danger of the change in climatic conditions because the change has been a relatively gradual one, rather than a dramatic, climactic spike—but that may soon change.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between climatic and climactic.