topical

[top-i-kuh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR topical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

pertaining to or dealing with matters of current or local interest: a topical reference.

pertaining to the subject of a discourse, composition, or the like.

of a place; local.

Medicine/Medical. of, relating to, or applied externally to a particular part of the body; local: a topical anesthetic.

noun

Philately. any of a collection of different stamps treating the same subject.

Origin of topical

1580–90; < Greek topik(ós) local, pertaining to commonplaces (see topo-, -ic) + -al¹

Related formstop·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for topical

Contemporary Examples of topical

For a while he mines a topical vein: Imelda Marcos, the S&L crisis, AIDS.
The Stacks: Robin Williams, More Than A Shtick Figure
Joe Morgenstern
August 16, 2014
“Cocaine specifically is still used as a topical anesthetic,” says John Halpern.
Why We Need Medical Meth + Cocaine
Valerie Vande Panne
February 22, 2014
Some viewers may get their news from watching “Update” (or other topical TV shows); Fallon got some of his news from writing it.
Can Jimmy Fallon Be Himself on ‘The Tonight Show’?
Tom Shales
February 17, 2014
It's those attributes, more than the clever writing or topical satire that made the episode such a pleasure to watch.
Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake’s Perfect, Cameo-Filled 'Saturday Night Live'
Kevin Fallon
December 22, 2013
Topical Halloween costumes really just reveal the absurd things Americans are obsessed with.
The Most Popular Halloween Costumes Through the Years: 1985-2013
Kevin Fallon
October 31, 2013

Historical Examples of topical

The topical slang that fast and foolish people use was introduced with sickening reiteration.
The Angel
Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
Topical yellow stains, or yellow dyes, by the same combination.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines
Andrew Ure
Besides the general ones, that are the same with those of the blind Cancer, there are also Topical, which may take place here.
The Compleat Surgeon, or the Whole Art of Surgery Explain'd in a Most Familiar Method
Charles Gabriel Le Clerc
Almost every number was a waltz or a two-step, the music being the topical songs and popular airs of the day set to dance music.
Vandover and the Brute
Frank Norris
But the system is growing in every direction, to save time and trouble, and is lowering the standard of topical illustrations.
The Art of Illustration
Henry Blackburn

British Dictionary definitions for topical

topical

adjective

of, relating to, or constituting current affairs

relating to a particular place; local

of or relating to a topic or topics

(of a drug, ointment, etc) for application to the body surface; local

Derived Formstopicality (ˌtɒpɪˈkælɪtɪ), nountopically, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for topical

adj.

1580s, from topic + -al (1). Medical sense is from c.1600. Meaning "of or pertaining to topics of the day" is from 1873.

Medicine definitions for topical

topical

[tŏp′ĭ-kəl]

adj.

Of or applied to a definite or localized area of the body.

Related formstop′i•cal•ly adv.

topical

adjective

noun

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Origin of topical

Examples from the Web for topical

Contemporary Examples of topical

Historical Examples of topical

topical

adjective

topical

adj.