oceanic
adjective
of, living in, or produced by the ocean.
oceanic
American
[oh-shee-an-ik]
/ ˌoʊ ʃiˈæn ɪk /
adjective
-
of, living in, or produced by the ocean.
oceanic currents.
-
Oceanography. of or relating to the region of water lying above the bathyal, abyssal, and hadal zones of the sea bottom.
-
immensely large; vast.
an oceanic expanse of stars.
-
(initial capital letter) of or relating to Oceania, its peoples, or their languages.
Oceanic
1
British
/ ˌəʊʃɪˈænɪk /
noun
adjective
-
of, relating to, or belonging to this group of languages
-
of or relating to Oceania
oceanic
2
British
/ ˌəʊʃɪˈænɪk /
adjective
-
of or relating to the ocean
-
living in the depths of the ocean beyond the continental shelf at a depth exceeding 200 metres
oceanic fauna
-
huge or overwhelming
-
(of geological formations) of volcanic origin, arising from the ocean
oceanic islands
oceanic
Scientific
/ ō′shē-ăn′ĭk /
-
Relating to the ocean.
-
Relating to the ocean waters that lie beyond the continental shelf and exceed 200 m (656 ft) in depth.
-
Compare neritic See more at epipelagic zone
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of oceanic
First recorded in 1650–60; from Medieval Latin ōceanicus, equivalent to Latin ōcean(us) + -icus adjective suffix; see origin at ocean, -ic
Explanation
Things that have something to do with the ocean are oceanic. Oceanic water comes from the sea, and oceanic study focuses on creatures that live in the ocean and other ocean-related topics. An oceanic vessel is a fancy way of referring to a ship that sails on the sea, and oceanic tides are the constantly rising and falling levels of ocean water. You can also use this adjective to mean, "as enormous as the ocean," like an oceanic success or an oceanic pile of work to do before the end of the day. Oceanic comes from the Greek okeanos, which in ancient Greece referred to an imagined "endless river surrounding the land."
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.
See Examples For:
Critics fear deep-sea mining will cause irreversible damage, smothering marine life in plumes of waste and disrupting oceanic migrations with the thrum of heavy machinery.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
"Chances are this El Nino is going to be stronger than the 2015-2016 one," Leising said, noting that a decade ago, the oceanic heat wave was devastating for the Golden State.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Although such plumes can produce enormous amounts of magma, scientists have not fully understood how that magma affects an oceanic plate that already exists above it.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
The U.S. has repeatedly hit Chabahar, Iran’s only deep water, oceanic port.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
But many of them are on the brink of extinction now as a result of industrial pollution and human overuse of oceanic resources.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
According to a 2021 study supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the increase in fire weather in the western U.S. is primarily due to climate change.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
The drought is expected to persist or worsen for at least the next month, data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The study was led by scientists at the University of South Florida and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
The review will be conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and will examine the decades-old California Coastal Management Program, a voluntary, federal-state partnership established through the Coastal Management Act.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
This peculiar linking-together of opposites—knowl-edge with ignorance, cynicism with fanaticism—is one of the chief distinguishing marks of Oceanic society.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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.
