nomadic

adjective

no·​mad·​ic nō-ˈma-dik 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of nomads

a nomadic tribe

nomadic herders

2

: roaming about from place to place aimlessly, frequently, or without a fixed pattern of movement

a nomadic hobo

Synonyms

• ambulant
• ambulatory
• errant
• fugitive
• gallivanting
• galavanting
• itinerant
• nomad
• perambulatory
• peregrine
• peripatetic
• ranging
• roaming
• roving
• vagabond
• vagrant
• wandering
• wayfaring

Examples of nomadic in a Sentence

raised in a nomadic family, she attended half a dozen different high schools

Recent Examples on the Web

These people, known as the Caucasus-Lower Volga (CLV) group, later gave rise to the Yamnaya, a nomadic herding culture that spread Indo-European languages across Eurasia. —Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025

Requiem for a Tribe | Dir. Marjan Khosravi; 2024; Iran, Spain, Qatar; 70 min A 55-year-old family matriarch from the nomadic Bakhtiari tribe in Iran is forced to abandon her home andbegin anew. —Addie Morfoot, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025

Central France has been occupied off and on for thousands of years, by aristocratic families to nomadic tribes. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2025

Also, President Trump’s family has paid several visits to Mongolia on personal trips to get acquainted with our nomadic lifestyle and beautiful landscape. —Charlie Campbell, TIME, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Greek nomadikós "of a shepherd or herdsman, pastoral," from nomad-, nomás "wanderer, shepherd, nomad" + -ikos -ic entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1