Standard Lemma guide

topical

adj · noun · 13 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈtɒp.ɪ.kəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒpɪkəl
  • US: /ˈtɑ.pɪ.kəl/
  • New-Jersey: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɑpɪkəl
  • CMU ARPABET: T AA1 P AH0 K AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: T AA1 P IH0 K AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Relating to a particular topic or subject.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The book is divided into topical chapters.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Relating to a topic or subject of current interest.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Fair trade has become quite a topical issue.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Local to a particular place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Applied to a localized part of the body.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: systemic

5

adj

Meaning 5

Applied externally (to the surface of the skin or eye).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Arranged according to topic or theme; thematic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A substance, especially a medication, applied externally (to the surface of the skin or eye).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A substance, especially a medication, applied externally (to the surface of the skin or eye).

A topical anaesthetic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, pharmacology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

A joke dealing with current events or topical subjects.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

A postage stamp depicting a particular theme or subject (such as birds or trains), potentially sought out by topical stamp collectors.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, philately

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective

Meaning 11

of or relating to or arranged by topics

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a detailed record on both a chronological and a topical basis

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

adjective satellite

Meaning 12

of interest at the present time

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a topical reference
  • a topical and timely study of civil liberty

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

adjective satellite

Meaning 13

pertaining to the surface of a body part

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a drug for topical (or local) application
  • a topical anesthesia

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From topic + -al.

Across languages

Translations

72 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: aiheenmukainen — relating to a particular topic or subject
  • German: themenbezogen — relating to a particular topic or subject
  • German: thematisch — relating to a particular topic or subject
  • Spanish: tópico — relating to a particular topic or subject
  • Spanish: temático — relating to a particular topic or subject
  • Bulgarian: актуа́лен (aktuálen) — of current interest
  • Bulgarian: злободневен (zlobodneven) — of current interest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 有关时事的 — of current interest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 热门的 — of current interest
  • Dutch: actueel — of current interest
  • Esperanto: aktuala — of current interest
  • Finnish: ajankohtainen — of current interest
  • French: d'actualité — of current interest
  • German: aktuell — of current interest
  • German: gegenwartsbezogen — of current interest
  • German: zeitgemäß — of current interest
  • German: gegenwartsnah — of current interest
  • German: gegenwartsrelevant — of current interest
  • Hindi: प्रासंगिक (prāsaṅgik) — of current interest
  • Hungarian: aktuális — of current interest
  • Hungarian: időszerű — of current interest
  • Indonesian: aktual — of current interest
  • Italian: topico — of current interest
  • Manx: traaoil — of current interest
  • Polish: aktualny — of current interest
  • Serbo-Croatian: а̏ктуа̄лан — of current interest
  • Serbo-Croatian: ȁktuālan — of current interest
  • Spanish: de interés actual — of current interest
  • Spanish: de actualidad — of current interest
  • Bulgarian: местен (mesten) — local to a particular place
  • Chinese Mandarin: 地方的 — local to a particular place
  • Finnish: paikallinen — local to a particular place
  • French: local — local to a particular place
  • German: örtlich (begrenzt) — local to a particular place
  • Hebrew: מקומי — local to a particular place
  • Hungarian: helyi — local to a particular place
  • Italian: topico — local to a particular place
  • Portuguese: tópico — local to a particular place
  • Bulgarian: локален (lokalen) — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • Chinese Mandarin: 局部的 — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • Chinese Mandarin: 外用的 — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • Finnish: paikallinen — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • French: topique — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • German: örtlich — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • German: topisch — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • German: lokal — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • Hungarian: helyi — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • Hungarian: lokális — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • Italian: topico — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • Occitan: topic — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • Portuguese: tópico — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • Russian: насущный (nasuščnyj) — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • Spanish: tópico — medicine: applied to a localized part of the body
  • Chinese Mandarin: 塗於身體表面的 /涂于身体表面的 — medicine: applied externally
  • Finnish: ulkoinen — medicine: applied externally
  • Finnish: ulkoisesti käytettävä — medicine: applied externally
  • German: äußerlich — medicine: applied externally
  • German: örtlich — medicine: applied externally
  • German: lokal — medicine: applied externally
  • Hungarian: lokális — medicine: applied externally
  • Italian: topico — medicine: applied externally
  • Portuguese: tópico — medicine: applied externally
  • Chinese Mandarin: 题目的 — arranged according to topic or theme
  • Chinese Mandarin: 论题的 — arranged according to topic or theme
  • Finnish: aiheenmukainen — arranged according to topic or theme
  • Finnish: temaattinen — arranged according to topic or theme
  • German: thematisch — arranged according to topic or theme
  • Hungarian: téma szerinti — arranged according to topic or theme
  • Hungarian: tematikus — arranged according to topic or theme
  • Hungarian: tárgy szerinti — arranged according to topic or theme
  • Italian: topico — arranged according to topic or theme
  • Ukrainian: тематичний (tematyčnyj) — arranged according to topic or theme
Real reading context

topical in complete knowledge articles