: of, relating to, occurring in, or suitable for use in the tropics
tropical forests
a tropical disease
b
: of, being, or characteristic of a region or climate that is frost-free with temperatures high enough to support year-round plant growth given sufficient moisture
wanted to escape winter and visit some tropical location where freezing to death would not be a possibility an author given to high-flown tropical phrasings and convoluted symbology
Recent Examples on the WebThe tropical conditions added a swelter to the heat wave, which offered little overnight relief. Julie Watson And John Antczak, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Sep. 2022 By Saturday night, Earl is forecast to become a powerful post-tropical low. Keven Lerner, Sun Sentinel, 9 Sep. 2022 The first one was in the central tropical Atlantic about 1,100 miles east of the Leeward Islands. Leigh Morgan, al, 9 Sep. 2022 Six will likely be passed after 1.5° C of warming, including the die-off of tropical coral reefs and the collapse of both the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2022 Other birds leave temperate Eurasia for Africa, tropical Asia or Australia. Tom Langen, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Sep. 2022 This Joe Burrow car air freshener is made from recycled paper and comes in black cherry, clean cotton, vanilla, Hawaiian Blue, Jasmine and mango tropical scents. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2022 But tropical moisture will linger through the weekend. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2022 While visiting Mexico in 1975, Queen Elizabeth wore a tropical-print, short-sleeve dress. Andrea Wurzburger, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
(sense 1) Middle English tropikal "pertaining to the three circles of the celestial sphere (the two tropics and the equinoctial circle)," from tropiktropic entry 1 + -al-al entry 1; (sense 2) Latin tropicus "pertaining to figures of speech" (borrowed from Greek tropikós, from trópos "figurative expression, trope" + -ikos-ic entry 1) + -al entry 1