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subtropical

American  
[suhb-trop-i-kuhl] / sʌbˈtrɒp ɪ kəl /

adjective

  1. bordering on the tropics; nearly tropical.

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


noun

  1. a subtropical plant.

subtropical British  
/ sʌbˈtrɒpɪkəl /

adjective

  1. 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

subtropical Scientific  
/ sŭb-trŏpĭ-kəl /
  1. 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.


Etymology

Origin of subtropical

First recorded in 1835–45; sub- + tropical

Vocabulary lists containing subtropical

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:

Its strength is influenced by shifts in the position of the subtropical front.

From Science Daily Aug. 6, 2026

The diseases that Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are known to carry—chikungunya, Zika, dengue, and yellow fever—as well as most other mosquito-borne diseases, are most common in tropical and subtropical climates.

From Slate Aug. 4, 2026

The extreme heat is being caused by a subtropical anticyclone from North Africa that is now strengthening over the Mediterranean.

From BBC Aug. 1, 2026

The subtropical southern Japanese region boasts some of the world's most biodiverse hubs of normally multicoloured coral, but a 2024 marine heatwave created "graveyards" of ghostly pale or sickly brown organisms.

From Barron's Jul. 29, 2026

I live in a subtropical area where even the inactive can expect to be moist nine months out of the year.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

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