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tropical

American  
[trop-i-kuhl, troh-pi-kuhl] / ˈtrɒp ɪ kəl, ˈtroʊ pɪ kəl /

adjective

  1. pertaining to, characteristic of, occurring in, or inhabiting the tropics, especially the humid tropics.

    tropical flowers.

  2. very hot and humid.

    a tropical climate.

  3. designed for use in the tropics or in very hot weather (often used in combination).

    tropical-weight woolens.

  4. of or relating to either or both of the astronomical tropics.

  5. pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of a trope or tropes; metaphorical.

noun

  1. tropicals, lightweight clothing, suitable for warm, especially summer weather.

tropical British  
/ ˈtrɒpɪkəl /

adjective

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

  2. (of weather) very hot, esp when humid

  3. rhetoric of or relating to a trope

"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

Other Word Forms

  • hypertropical adjective
  • nontropical adjective
  • nontropically adverb
  • tropicality noun
  • tropically adverb
  • untropical adjective
  • untropically adverb

Etymology

Origin of tropical

First recorded in 1520–30; tropic + -al 1

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.

“In summary, as part of heart-healthy dietary patterns, nontropical plant sources of fat should be used as part of food preparation in place of animal fats and tropical oils.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Kirkland’s variety packs include tropical, peach and orange, Celsius’s most popular flavors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

"It fuels tropical and subtropical storms and exacerbates ongoing sea-ice loss in the polar regions."

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

While wildfires have increased across tropical regions in recent decades, scientists have had limited insight into how fires in tropical peatlands behaved over longer periods.

From Science Daily • Mar. 19, 2026

Even Adah, who’s becoming an expert in tropical epidemiology and strange new viruses.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

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.