Phrase guide

volcanic winter

noun · 1 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /vɒlˌkænɪk ˈwɪntə/
  • General-American: /vɔlˌkænɪk ˈwɪntəɹ/
  • General-American: [-ˈwɪnəɹ]
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • cot-caught-merger: /vɑlˌkænɪk ˈwɪntəɹ/
  • rhymes with -ɪntə(ɹ)

1

noun

Meaning 1

A reduction in global temperatures caused by volcanic ash and droplets of sulfuric acid obscuring the Sun and raising Earth's albedo (increasing the reflection of solar radiation) after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: climatology, natural-sciences

Examples

  • People who lived through the Year Without a Summer, 1816, had no way to know at the time that they were living through a volcanic winter; some thought that the end times were beginning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From volcanic + winter.

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: vulkaanwinter — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Albanian: dimri vullkanik — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Arabic: شتاء بركاني — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Bulgarian: вулканична зи́ма (vulkanična zíma) — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Catalan: hivern volcànic — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Chinese Mandarin: 火山冬天 (huǒshān dōngtiān) — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Chuvash: вулкан хыҫҫин хӗлӗ (vulk̬an h̬yśśin h̬ĕlĕ) — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Czech: sopečná zima — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Dutch: vulcanische winter — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Finnish: tulivuorenpurkauksen vaikutukset ilmastoon — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • French: hiver volcanique — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Georgian: ვულკანური ზამთარი (vulḳanuri zamtari) — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • German: vulkanischer Winter — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Greek: ηφαιστειακός χειμώνας (ifaisteiakós cheimónas) — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Hebrew: חורף געשי — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Hungarian: vulkáni tél — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Hungarian: vulkanikus tél — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Indonesian: musim dingin vulkanik — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Japanese: 火山の冬 (kazan no fuyu) — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Korean: 화산 겨울 (hwasan gyeoul) — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Lithuanian: vulkaninė žiemà — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: vulkanvinter — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Occitan: ivèrn volcanic — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Persian: زمستان آتشفشانی — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Polish: zima wulkaniczna — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Portuguese: inverno vulcânico — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Russian: вулкани́ческая зима́ (vulkaníčeskaja zimá) — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Slovak: vulkanická zima — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Slovak: sopečná zima — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Spanish: invierno volcánico — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Swedish: vulkanvinter — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Thai: ฤดูหนาวจากภูเขาไฟ — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Turkish: volkanik kış — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Ukrainian: вулканічна зима́ (vulkanična zymá) — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption
  • Vietnamese: mùa đông núi lửa — reduction in global temperatures after a large, particularly explosive volcanic eruption