nautical
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nautical
1545–55; < Latin nautic ( us ) pertaining to ships or sailors (< Greek nautikós, equivalent to naû ( s ) ship + -tikos -tic ) + -al 1
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How does nautical compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
If it can go to sea, it’s nautical. That is, if it has to do with a boat, ship, sailor, or one of those maps of the ocean that nautical people call a chart, it can be considered nautical. You can wear khakis with sailboats or whales embroidered all over and not be the least bit nautical, but if you know that a rope is called a sheet and that hard to the lee means “duck and move to the other side of the boat,” there’s hope. The most nautical among us know what knot to tie in any given boating situation, which makes them both nautical and “knot-ical.”
Vocabulary lists containing nautical
100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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Peter and the Starcatchers
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 30–September 5, 2025
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That title he reserved for his victory at the infamous 1979 edition of the Fastnet Race, a 600-plus nautical mile competition in which hundreds of boats race around Ireland’s Fastnet Rock.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
“Recent incidents, including a Pirate Action Group approach approximately 500 nautical miles east of Somalia indicate sustained offshore capability.”
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
Madden’s post also included pictures of various paintings and sketches plus another nautical image dedicated to the newborn.
From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026
They can travel around 40 nautical miles at 25 knots before they need an hour to fully recharge.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
I knew we were exactly one hundred thirteen nautical miles west by northwest of our destination.
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
