pacific

[ puh-sif-ik ]
See synonyms for pacific on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. tending to make or preserve peace; conciliatory: pacific overtures.

  2. not warlike; peaceable; mild: a pacific disposition.

  1. at peace; peaceful: a pacific era in history.

  2. calm; tranquil: The Wabash is a pacific river.

  3. Pacific.

noun
  1. the Pacific. Pacific Ocean.

  2. Pacific. a steam locomotive having a four-wheeled front truck, six driving wheels, and a two-wheeled rear truck.

Origin of pacific

1
First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French pacifique, from Latin pācificus, literally, “peacemaking,” equivalent to pāci- (combining form of pāx “peace”) + -ficus adjective suffix; see origin at peace, -fic

Other words for pacific

Opposites for pacific

Other words from pacific

  • non·pa·cif·ic, adjective
  • un·pa·cif·ic, adjective

Words Nearby pacific

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pacific in a sentence

  • That his friend had withdrawn, was a pledge of his pacific wishes; and, with a lightened countenance, Louis rose from his knee.

  • The shrieking trade-winds and the dense white fogs were hibernating somewhere out in the pacific.

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
  • It looked so calm and peaceful that he said, "I will call it 'pacific,' for I have never seen the like before."

  • At this spot, according to our works on geography, the Atlantic Ocean changes its name and assumes that of the pacific.

  • That extraordinary but unfortunate man was the first European whose eyes rested on the broad pacific.

British Dictionary definitions for pacific (1 of 2)

pacific

/ (pəˈsɪfɪk) /


adjective
  1. tending or conducive to peace; conciliatory

  2. not aggressive; opposed to the use of force

  1. free from conflict; peaceful

Origin of pacific

1
C16: from Old French pacifique, from Latin pācificus, from pāx peace + facere to make

Derived forms of pacific

  • pacifically, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for Pacific (2 of 2)

Pacific

/ (pəˈsɪfɪk) /


noun
  1. the Pacific short for Pacific Ocean

adjective
  1. of or relating to the Pacific Ocean or its islands

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012