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.

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noun

1. a subtropical plant.

subtropical British  

/ sʌbˈtrɒpɪkəl /

adjective

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

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subtropical Scientific  

/ sŭb-trŏp′ĭ-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.

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Etymology

Origin of subtropical

First recorded in 1835–45; sub- + tropical

Example Sentences

They’re found around the globe, mostly in subtropical and temperate regions of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, and in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026

And no one could question the skill and scrupulosity with which the artist rendered the delicate tones of the distant mountains, the clouds, the subtropical foliage.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Wearing a thick navy jacket over a wool sweater, Ivannikov, the head of the department of tropical and subtropical plants, picked up a leaf that had just come rustling down.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

By examining samples from many different populations, the team reconstructed the evolutionary tree of Balanophora and traced how it spread across subtropical regions of East Asia.

From Science Daily • Dec. 20, 2025

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