prefrontal

American  

[pree-fruhn-tl] / priˈfrʌn tl /

adjective

Anatomy.

1. anterior to, situated in, or pertaining to the anterior part of a frontal structure.

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prefrontal British  

/ priːˈfrʌntəl /

adjective

1. situated in, involving, or relating to the foremost part of the frontal lobe of the brain

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Etymology

Origin of prefrontal

First recorded in 1850–55; pre- + frontal

Explanation

Use the adjective prefrontal when you're talking about the very front part of the brain. Take care of your prefrontal cortex; it controls your personality. In an anatomy class, you'd gain a lot of information about the prefrontal cortex, since it's a vital section of the brain. The word prefrontal comes up in discussions of non-human animals as well, usually describing their brains, but sometimes in discussions of the skull, specifically the bones in front of a bird's or reptile's eye socket. Prefrontal combines pre-, "before," with frontal, "being in front," emphasizing the far forward location.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prefrontal

The researchers also detected stronger activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the precuneus.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

According to Riesenhuber, transferring a well-learned skill into the temporal cortex frees the prefrontal cortex to focus on new challenges, allowing existing knowledge to serve as the foundation for future learning.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

For many years, scientists believed that attention was controlled primarily by the prefrontal cortex, a brain region that is especially developed in humans and other primates.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 24, 2026

The prefrontal cortex, the brain’s “command center,” doesn’t finish developing until the mid- to late 20s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

The very last part of the brain to get myelinated is the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for reason, planning, and deliberation.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater