What does anticyclonic mean?
Anticyclonic is a meteorological adjective meaning relating to an anticyclone, or high-pressure system characterized by descending air and generally settled weather. It is most often used by forecasters and atmospheric scientists to describe circulation patterns, pressure systems, or the weather associated with persistent highs. The term can be useful because a high-pressure centre is more than a shorthand for sunshine: although it often produces dry, calm conditions, it can also create temperature inversions, valley fog, trapped haze, or exceptionally cold nights and days. Anticyclonic circulation differs from the rising-air circulation of a cyclone and rotates in the opposite direction. In Northern Hemisphere forecasts, anticyclonic winds curve clockwise around a high, while in the Southern Hemisphere they curve counterclockwise. Because the word is specialized, it sounds more natural in formal or technical writing than in everyday conversation. Its unusual formation—anti- plus cyclonic—also makes it an effective reminder of the central contrast between high- and low-pressure weather systems.
adjectiveRelating to or characteristic of an anticyclone, a high-pressure system characterized by descending air and generally settled weather.
- Of or relating to an anticyclone or anticyclonic circulation; characterized by high pressure, descending air, and generally settled weather.
"An anticyclonic system settled over the region, bringing several days of clear, dry weather."
"A persistent anticyclonic circulation can steer storms away from a coast, but it may also trap haze and fog in low-lying areas."
"The meteorologist noted that anticyclonic conditions could support widespread valley fog despite the sunshine."
The word literally signals an “opposite-cyclonic” system: cyclones are low-pressure systems, while anticyclones are high-pressure systems.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does anticyclonic come from?
Anticyclonic is formed from the prefix anti-, meaning “against” or “opposite,” and the adjective cyclonic, meaning “pertaining to a cyclone.” Cyclone came through French from Greek kyklos, meaning “wheel” or “circle,” the same root found in cycle and bicycle. The anticyclonic form developed in the meteorological sense of opposing or contrasting with a cyclone's low-pressure circulation.
Related word forms
How anticyclonic is actually used
This is chiefly a formal or technical meteorological term, especially appropriate in forecasts, weather reports, and atmospheric-science writing. It is not a synonym for invariably clear or pleasant weather, since anticyclonic conditions can also produce fog, haze, inversions, and extreme temperatures.
Easily confused with anticyclonic
Anticyclonic refers to the circulation and weather associated with a high-pressure system, whereas cyclonic refers to the rising-air circulation and often unsettled weather of a low-pressure system.