antarctic

adjective

ant·​arc·​tic (ˌ)ant-ˈärk-tik How to pronounce antarctic (audio) -ˈär-tik How to pronounce antarctic (audio)
often capitalized
: of or relating to the south pole or to the region near it

Examples of antarctic in a Sentence

The group is involved in Antarctic exploration.
Recent Examples on the Web Mind you, Svarthamaren has long been described as the world’s largest colony of antarctic petrels. Melissa Breyer, Treehugger, 13 Mar. 2023 As temperatures worldwide slowly climb, ice in the arctic and antarctic regions is melting, uncovering previously untapped natural resources and, especially in the arctic, new trade routes between Europe, North America, and Asia. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 1 Nov. 2021 Camille Seaman, a photographer known for her photos from the arctic and antarctic regions that document the ways in which Earth’s environment is changing, echoed Lacovara. WIRED, 29 Sep. 2022 Russia and China are both building new icebreakers, as the two powers acknowledge the growing importance of the arctic and antarctic regions. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 11 June 2020 Scientists rushed to make sense of the depletion, and terrifying stories circulated about antarctic sheep being blinded by UV radiation and humans facing unavoidable skin cancer. Thomas Chatterton Williams, Harper's Magazine, 20 July 2021 Thirty countries have national antarctic programs and are members, according to the council. Ben Kesling, WSJ, 23 Dec. 2020 These were much different worlds, with antarctic forests and warmth-loving reptiles at the poles—balmy interludes driven by naturally higher carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Peter Brannen, The Atlantic, 31 Aug. 2017 Antarctic ice cores have recorded an impressive span of climatic history for us, covering the last 800,000 years. Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, 17 Aug. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'antarctic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English antartik, from Latin antarcticus, from Greek antarktikos, from anti- + arktikos arctic

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of antarctic was in 1594

Dictionary Entries Near antarctic

Cite this Entry

“Antarctic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antarctic. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

antarctic

adjective
ant·​arc·​tic (ˈ)ant-ˈärk-tik How to pronounce antarctic (audio) -ˈärt-ik How to pronounce antarctic (audio)
often capitalized
: of or relating to the South Pole or to the region near it

More from Merriam-Webster on antarctic

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