oceanic

adjective

oce·​an·​ic ˌō-shē-ˈa-nik 

1

a

: of or relating to the ocean

b

: occurring in or frequenting the ocean and especially the open sea as distinguished from littoral or neritic waters

2

: vast, great

3

Oceanic linguistics : relating to, belonging to, or characterizing a subfamily of the Austronesian family of languages that is spoken in Polynesia and most of the islands of Melanesia and Micronesia

Synonyms

• marine
• maritime
• pelagic

Examples of oceanic in a Sentence

the theory that ancient mariners took advantage of oceanic currents to roam the seas on primitive rafts

during his solo crossing of the Atlantic he managed to avoid the fierce oceanic storms that rage in those tropical latitudes

Recent Examples on the Web

So, what happens when these oceanic titans cross paths with cage-diving boats? —Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024

The 69-year-old demonstrated his immense passion and depth of knowledge for all things oceanic when discussing his upcoming series OceanXplorers (trailer below) — which follows a young team of researchers on a state-of-the-art ship exploring uncharted ocean territory. —James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Aug. 2024

That resulted in a global oceanic anoxic event, where the ocean is completely depleted of oxygen. —Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 31 July 2024

Roadside promoted the film with wildlife and oceanic groups as well as with both faith and Latino audiences, and performed the best in the West and Southwest. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin Ōceanicus, from Ōceanus "the sea flowing around the land mass of the known world, ocean" + -icus -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing oceanic

• inter-oceanic
• oceanic whitetip
• oceanic white-tipped shark
• oceanic whitetip shark