Meaning & use
tropical
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Belonging to the warm, wet regions on either side of the equator.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: a tropical island.
Patterns
- tropical forest
- tropical climate
We vacationed on a tropical island.
Tropical forests contain a huge variety of plants.
She grew up in a tropical climate with heavy rain.
adjectivecomparable
Very hot and humid, like the weather in those regions.
Grammar: Used about weather or places far from the tropics: tropical heat.
The greenhouse felt tropical on a summer afternoon.
It was almost tropical in the city that week.
Tropical heat made the walk exhausting.
adjectivebefore a noun
Bright and exotic in style, as with fruit, colors or drinks.
Grammar: Often in food and design: tropical punch.
She wore a shirt with a tropical pattern.
The juice had a tropical flavor of mango and pineapple.
They served tropical cocktails on the beach.
Word forms
| comparative | more tropical |
|---|---|
| superlative | most tropical |
Common combinations
- tropical storm
- A tropical storm moved up the coast.
- tropical rainforest
- The tropical rainforest is home to many rare birds.
- tropical fruit
- We ate tropical fruit for breakfast.
- tropical disease
- The clinic treats tropical diseases such as malaria.
- tropical paradise
- The brochure promised a tropical paradise.
Synonyms and how they differ
- equatorial
- Equatorial is more precise and technical and means right near the equator, while tropical covers a wider band.
- sultry
- Sultry describes weather that is hot and damp, and it can be used anywhere, while tropical names the region.
- humid
- Humid means damp air only, whereas tropical suggests both heat and a specific climate.
- exotic
- Exotic suggests something from a faraway place, but it does not necessarily mean warm.
Opposites
Word family
- tropics noun
- the hot regions near the equator
- tropic noun
- one of two lines of latitude, the Tropic of Cancer or Capricorn
- subtropical adjective
- close to the tropics, with warm weather
- tropically adverb
- rare: in a tropical manner
Commonly confused: tropical or topical?
tropical vs topical
Topical means connected with current events, and it lacks the r found in tropical.
Practice
Which word fits: 'The islands have a ___ climate, with hot, rainy summers and warm winters.'
Choose one answer.
Tropical describes hot, wet regions near the equator. Polar and temperate suggest colder or milder climates.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tropical”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.