adj · noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/sɪˈteɪʃən/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪʃən
CMU ARPABET:S IH0 T EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:S IY0 T EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Pertaining to the zoologic infraorder Cetacea, or associated with species falling under that taxonomic hierarchy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The poached blubber was definitely cetacean in origin, but the particular species could not be identified.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Resembling or relating to large aquatic mammals.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, figuratively, sometimes
Examples
The obese woman, ungainly on land, moved with a kind of cetacean grace in the water.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A marine mammal belonging to the infraorder Cetacea, including dolphins, porpoises, and whales, characterized by a streamlined body, one or two blowholes, tail flukes, and fin-like forelimbs without hind limbs.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The tour promised spiritual experiences with humpback whales and other cetaceans, but all we saw were seagulls and a dead sea otter.
