climatic

American  

[klahy-mat-ik] / klaɪˈmæt ɪk /

Also climatical,

adjective

1. of or relating to climate.

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

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• subclimatic
  adjective
• climatically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of climatic

First recorded in 1820–30; climate + -ic

Explanation

Anything that has to do with weather or other conditions related to climate is climatic. If you're worried about climatic effects on your skin, you are concerned about winter dryness, UV exposure and windburn. The adjective climatic is perfect for describing anything related to a climate. You might read that climatic changes have led to shrinking glaciers and starving polar bears, just as your grandmother might talk every winter about the climatic difference from when she was a girl. Climatic comes from the word "climate," which in turn has its roots in the Latin word clima, meaning "region."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

climatic

Scientists say the August disaster was caused by a complex chain of geological and climatic factors rather than a single extreme weather event.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

"The implication in my mind is that pollinator decline, or the lack of pollination and selective drive to attract pollinators, is making these plants potentially less able to adapt to climatic shifts."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

There are other recurrent, globe-spanning climatic phenomena, but few people have heard of the Madden-Julian Oscillation, or the Southern Annular Mode, or the Atlantic Multidecadal Variability.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Two years ago, a convergence of climatic events pushed the price of both beans to multi-decade highs.

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

In addition, Australia’s aridity, infertility, and climatic unpredictability limited its hunter-gatherer population to only a few hundred thousand people.

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

Related Words

• meteorological