antarctic

adjective

ant·​arc·​tic (ˌ)ant-ˈärk-tik How to pronounce antarctic (audio) -ˈär-tik How to pronounce antarctic (audio)
variants often Antarctic
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Thousands of baby seals died on two remote sub-Antarctic islands. — Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 22 June 2026 In 2019, Koll was part of a research team that detected 60Fe atoms in Antarctic snow. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 18 May 2026 Sub-Antarctic islands south of Tasmania are home to breeding populations of elephant seals and Neil’s mother would have arrived from one of them to give birth, Volzke said. — ABC News, 3 July 2026 Curated by Our Editors Such methods have revealed that as Antarctic ice sheets expanded during the last glacial maximum, sea ice got pushed farther offshore, forcing krill to move out of the petrels’ feeding ranges. — Hannah Richter, Scientific American, 7 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for antarctic

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

Phrases Containing antarctic

Rhymes for antarctic

See All Rhymes for antarctic

Browse Nearby Words

Antarctalian
antarctic
Antarctica
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Antarctic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antarctic. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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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

Nglish: Translation of antarctic for Spanish Speakers

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