Coastal
KOHS-tuhl
/ˈkoʊstəl/
Situated on or near the coast; pertaining to land bordering the ocean.
Descriptive adjective applied to geography, climate, towns, or ecosystems adjoining seas.
The story behind the word. Traced to Latin costa (rib or side). In Old French, coste came to mean the side or border of land bordering the sea.
Word relationships
- maritime: Maritime relates specifically to seafaring, nautical trade, or naval activity, whereas coastal simply describes physical geography near land.
- littoral: Littoral is a formal or scientific term for shore zones between high and low tide lines.
- inland: Inland refers to areas situated far away from ocean coasts.
- landlocked: Landlocked describes countries or regions entirely enclosed by land.
Commonly confused with
- oceanic: Oceanic refers to open deep sea environments, whereas coastal refers to boundary lands right along the edge.
Word family
- coast (noun): seashore area
- coastline (noun): outline of a coast
Collocations
- coastal erosion
- coastal waters
- coastal resort
- coastal city
Example sentences
- "Rising ocean levels pose significant threats to low-lying coastal communities." Environmental science
- "We took a scenic drive along the winding coastal highway overlooking the Pacific Ocean." Travel literature
Memory hook
COASTAL means living on the SIDE (rib/costa) of the continent. Along the side where sea meets land.
When not to use
Do not apply to interior landlocked regions far from major ocean waters.
Fun facts
- Over 40% of the global human population lives within 100 kilometers of a coastal area.
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.