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

• climatically
  adverb
• subclimatic
  adjective

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

For the Mother Tree Project, Ms. Simard and her colleagues worked with provincial and indigenous authorities, as well as forestry executives, to establish nine test sites across a range of climatic regions in British Columbia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

"The results suggest that fundamental characteristics of heat tolerance are deeply rooted in biology and cannot be quickly adapted to new climatic conditions."

From Science Daily • Mar. 5, 2026

The authors conclude that this combination of climatic disruption, famine, and grain transport offers a plausible explanation for how the Black Death began and spread across Europe.

From Science Daily • Dec. 8, 2025

They used clues from tree rings and ice cores to examine climatic conditions at the time of the Black Death.

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2025

But whatever the cause of the climatic upheaval, it severely tested Wari and Tiwanaku society.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• meteorological