tectonic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to building or construction; constructive; architectural.
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Geology.
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pertaining to the structure of the earth's crust.
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referring to the forces or conditions within the earth that cause movements of the crust.
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designating the results of such movements.
tectonic valleys.
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adjective
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denoting or relating to construction or building
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geology
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(of landforms, rock masses, etc) resulting from distortion of the earth's crust due to forces within it
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(of processes, movements, etc) occurring within the earth's crust and causing structural deformation
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tectonic
1650–60; < Late Latin tectonicus < Greek tektonikós pertaining to construction, equivalent to tekton- (stem of téktōn ) carpenter + -ikos -ic
Explanation
No, it’s not the latest electro-dance craze from Japan; the word tectonic refers to the earth's crust and the big hunks of it that shift around. Even though it’s popular with the geology crowd, tectonic comes from the Greek word for "building." That can help you remember that the earth's crust consists of the building blocks we live on — the continents. Tectonic plates are the large sections of the earth’s surface that shift. If you live in a part of the world that sits on the edge of a tectonic plate, like the San Andreas Fault in California, you’ve probably felt an earthquake or two.
Vocabulary lists containing tectonic
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Brace Yourself: Earthquake Words
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Geological Features
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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.
The tectonic forces at work also thrust chunks of the island's coastline upward in a phenomenon known as "coastal uplift", leaving stretches of shore unrecognisable to families who have spent their whole lives there.
From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026
Together, they accommodate most of the tectonic motion in the area.
From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2026
For decades, he steered the growth of dozens of newspapers around the country, navigating tectonic shifts in advertising and subscription models and the digital transformation of the news industry.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
Indonesia experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plades collide.
From BBC • May 11, 2026
It’s no wonder, then, that those of us sitting on its surface hardly notice the slow creep of its tectonic plates.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
