Synonyms

focal

American

[foh-kuhl] / ˈfoʊ kəl /

adjective

of or relating to a focus.

focal British

/ ˈfəʊkəl /

adjective

of or relating to a focus
situated at, passing through, or measured from the focus

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

focally adverb

Etymology

Origin of focal

From the New Latin word focālis, dating back to 1685–95. See focus, -al ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Several castles have been saved by clan associations, and we are also seeing communities buying their local castle and running projects to save them as focal points for community life," she said.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

Bigger parking decks are often a focal point of the action, they said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Ellison said the focal point of the deal was the combination of the two companies’ streaming services, which would create a combined global subscriber base of close to 210 million.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026

Howe's decision to make Gordon the focal point of his attack instead of the misfiring Nick Woltemade paid off after just three minutes.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

While accumulating a vast fortune in his native Canada, Stewart had become the focal point of a business scandal.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023