archipelago
noun
ar·chi·pel·a·go
ˌär-kə-ˈpe-lə-ˌgō 
ˌär-chə-
plural archipelagoes or archipelagos
1
: an expanse of water with many scattered islands
2
: a group of islands
3
: something resembling an archipelago
especially
: a group or scattering of similar things
an archipelago of small parks within the city
Did you know?
The Greeks called it the Aegean Pelagos and the Italians referred to it as Arcipelago (meaning "chief sea"), but English speakers now call it the Aegean Sea. Numerous islands dot its expanse, and 16th-century English speakers adopted a modified form of its Italian name for any sea with a similar scattering of islands. In time, archipelago came to refer to the groups of islands themselves, and now it is often used figuratively, as in, for example, "an archipelago of high-rise buildings."
Examples of archipelago in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Founded by a mysterious genius, the archipelago of Prospera lies hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world.
—
Kevin Spencer, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
The exceptionally high death rate among inmates at Syria’s archipelago of prisons and detention centers is well known.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Jan. 2025
So asked John Harwood, formerly of the New York Times, NBC, CNN, and elsewhere, when informed that President Trump had decided to shut down the federal government’s sprawling archipelago of DEI initiatives.
—Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 23 Jan. 2025
Heavy seasonal rain from about October to March frequently causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands.
—Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025
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Kevin Spencer, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
The exceptionally high death rate among inmates at Syria’s archipelago of prisons and detention centers is well known.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Jan. 2025
So asked John Harwood, formerly of the New York Times, NBC, CNN, and elsewhere, when informed that President Trump had decided to shut down the federal government’s sprawling archipelago of DEI initiatives.
—Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 23 Jan. 2025
Heavy seasonal rain from about October to March frequently causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands.
—Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for archipelago
Dictionary Entries Near archipelago
Cite this Entry
“Archipelago.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archipelago. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
archipelago
noun
ar·chi·pel·a·go
ˌär-kə-ˈpel-ə-ˌgō
ˌär-chə-
plural archipelagoes or archipelagos
: a wide stretch of water with many scattered islands
also
: a group of islands
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