subtropical

[ suhb-trop-i-kuhl ]

/ sʌbˈtrɒp ɪ kəl /

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adjective

bordering on the tropics; nearly tropical.

pertaining to or occurring in a region between tropical and temperate; subtorrid; semitropical.

noun

a subtropical plant.

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Origin of subtropical

First recorded in 1835–45; sub- + tropical

Words nearby subtropical

subtractive, subtractive color, subtractive process, subtrahend, subtreasury, subtropical, subtropical cyclone, subtropical high, subtropics, subtweet, subtype

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use subtropical in a sentence

It’s a time when subtropical forests spread over the continents and new animals got to stake their claims on the planet, all thanks to an atmosphere and oceans in turmoil.
An ancient era of global warming could hint at our scorching future|Rachel Feltman|August 16, 2021|Popular-Science
Plants need hydration, after all, and changes to the world’s rain cycle provided an essential assist in the proliferation of subtropical canopies.
An ancient era of global warming could hint at our scorching future|Rachel Feltman|August 16, 2021|Popular-Science
Pledges of 43 tropical and subtropical nations that joined by 2019 — a mix of plantations and natural regrowth — would sequester 16 gigatons of carbon.
Why planting tons of trees isn’t enough to solve climate change|Carolyn Gramling|July 9, 2021|Science News
Consider the fall armyworm, a pest native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas that feeds on corn.
A European butterfly bonanza starts with caterpillars 4,000 miles away|Benji Jones|June 25, 2021|Vox

Leishmaniasis, Gaither learned, is common in tropical and subtropical countries like Brazil, Mexico, and India.
Flesh-eating parasites are on the rise in the US|Purbita Saha|June 22, 2021|Popular-Science
Another mosquito-borne infection, dengue is found primarily in urban and rural tropical and subtropical regions.
8 Diseases Scarier Than Swine Flu|Barbara Kantrowitz|October 16, 2009|DAILY BEAST
It is very common in subtropical countries, notably in Italy and in southern China.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Accidental; two instances; habitat, tropical and subtropical America.
Birds of the Rockies|Leander Sylvester Keyser
About two miles inland from Pentewan is Heligan, a very fine estate, whose gardens display rare subtropical vegetation.
The Cornwall Coast|Arthur L. Salmon
Here the full force of the fierce subtropical sun began to make itself felt.
Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope|Victor Appleton
Overhead spread a canopy of luminous, subtropical stars; in undisturbed silence they gazed up at their brilliance.
The Honorable Percival|Alice Hegan Rice

British Dictionary definitions for subtropical

subtropical

/ (sʌbˈtrɒpɪkəl) /

adjective

situated in, used in, characteristic of, or relating to the subtropics

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

Scientific definitions for subtropical

subtropical

[ sŭb-trŏp′ĭ-kəl ]

Relating to the regions of the Earth bordering on the tropics, just north of the Tropic of Cancer or just south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Subtropical regions are the warmest parts of the two Temperate Zones.