Polynesia

American  

[pol-uh-nee-zhuh, -shuh] / ˌpɒl əˈni ʒə, -ʃə /

noun

1. one of the three principal divisions of Oceania, comprising those island groups in the Pacific Ocean lying east of Melanesia and Micronesia and extending from the Hawaiian Islands south to New Zealand.

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Polynesia British  

/ -ʒɪə, ˌpɒlɪˈniːʒə /

noun

1. one of the three divisions of islands in the Pacific, the others being Melanesia and Micronesia: includes Samoa, Society, Marquesas, Mangareva, Tuamotu, Cook, and Tubuai Islands, and Tonga

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Polynesia Cultural  

1. Group of islands in the central and southern Pacific Ocean, including the islands of the state of Hawaii and the islands of French Polynesia. Tahiti and Samoa are in Polynesia, which means “many islands.”

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Etymology

Origin of Polynesia

C18: via French from _poly- + Greek nēsos island

Example Sentences

The flight from Melbourne was headed to Dallas on Friday when it was forced to make a stop-off in Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, due to the disruptive passenger.

From Barron's • May 17, 2026

The woman had flown from San Francisco on 7 May and travelled through the island of Tahiti and then Mangareva in French Polynesia, the French Polynesian government said.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

She was later "shocked" to discover that rather than a handful of harmless "tests", France conducted 193 explosions in French Polynesia between 1966 and 1996.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

A year later, Brichon came across a deal from Regent Seven Seas Cruises advertising a journey to French Polynesia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026

But we thereby learn only that it can happen, because it happened in Polynesia.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond