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

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.

From BBC

The SIT will also look into complaints "regarding climatic conditions" and allegations of the facility being located near an industrial zone.

From BBC

“There’s a climatic element as well: It’s really hot in the summer and people spend a lot of time playing video games.”

From Los Angeles Times

Constance Marten's newborn baby would have been exposed to "substantial climatic cold stress" in the first few days she spent camping on the South Downs in January 2023, a jury has heard.

From BBC

The camera moves between characters rapidly, resulting in a sense of excitement and unease, and the climatic revelation of the mole is genuinely thrilling.

From Los Angeles Times

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.