thematic

UK: /θɪˈmætɪk/ US: /θɪˈmætɪk/ ,(thē mat′ik)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

the•mat•ic  (thē mat′ik), adj. 

1. of or pertaining to a theme.
2. Grammar
   • (of a word or words) of, pertaining to, or producing a theme or themes.
   • (of a vowel) pertaining to the theme or stem: the thematic vowel ends the stem and precedes the inflectional ending of a word form, as i in Latin audiō "I hear.''

• Greek thematikós, equivalent. to themat- (stem of théma) theme + -ikos -ic
• 1690–1700

the•mat′i•cal•ly, adv. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

thematic / θɪˈmætɪk/ adjective

1. of, relating to, or consisting of a theme or themes
2. denoting a word that is the theme of a sentence
3. denoting a vowel or other sound or sequence of sounds that occurs between the root of a word and any inflectional or derivational suffixes
4. of or relating to the stem or root of a word

noun

1. a thematic vowel: '-o-' is a thematic in the combining form 'psycho-'

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

theme /θim/   n. [countable]

1. a subject of a talk, a thought, or a piece of writing; topic:
   He returned to the theme of American values.
2. a unifying idea, or the most obvious point, as in a work of art, etc.
3. a short, informal essay, esp. a school composition.

the•mat•ic /θɪˈmætɪk/  adj. 
the•mat•i•cal•ly, adv. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

theme  (thēm), n., adj., v., themed, them•ing. 
n. 

1. a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition;
   topic:
   The need for world peace was the theme of the meeting.
2. a unifying or dominant idea, motif, etc., as in a work of art.
3. a short, informal essay, esp. a school composition.
4. Music and Dance
   • a principal melodic subject in a musical composition.
   • a short melodic subject from which variations are developed.
5. Grammar the element common to all or most of the forms of an inflectional paradigm, often consisting of a root with certain formative elements or modifications. Cf. stem ¹ (def. 16).
6. Linguistics topic (def. 4).
7. World History Also, thema. an administrative division of the Byzantine Empire.

adj. 

8. having a unifying theme:
   a theme restaurant decorated like a spaceship.

v.t. 

9. to provide with a theme.

• Greek théma proposition, deposit, akin to tithénai to put, set down
• Medieval Latin thema, Latin
• Old French teme)
• Middle English teme, theme (1250–1300

theme′less, adj. 
Synonyms

• 1. thesis, text. See subject. 
• 3. paper.