frontier

American  

[fruhn-teer, fron-, fruhn-teer] / frʌnˈtɪər, frɒn-, ˈfrʌn tɪər /

noun

1. the part of a country that borders another country; boundary; border.

2. the land or territory that forms the furthest extent of a country's settled or inhabited regions.

3. Often frontiers.

   1. the limit of knowledge or the most advanced achievement in a particular field.

      the frontiers of physics.

   2. an outer limit in a field of endeavor, especially one in which the opportunities for research and development have not been exploited.

      the frontiers of space exploration.

4. Mathematics. boundary.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or located on the frontier.

   a frontier town.

frontier British  

/ frʌnˈtɪə, ˈfrʌntɪə /

noun

1. 1. the region of a country bordering on another or a line, barrier, etc, marking such a boundary

   2. ( as modifier )

      a frontier post

2. 1. the edge of the settled area of a country

   2. ( as modifier )

      the frontier spirit

3. (often plural) the limit of knowledge in a particular field

   the frontiers of physics have been pushed back

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Related Words

See boundary.

Other Word Forms

• frontierless adjective
• frontierlike adjective
• semifrontier noun
• transfrontier adjective

Etymology

Origin of frontier

1350–1400; Middle English frounter < Old French frontier, equivalent to front (in the sense of opposite side; front ) + -ier -ier ²

Example Sentences

But as a coach on the frontier of college basketball’s NIL era, Scheyer has proven to have a remarkable gift for the new-school approach.

From The Wall Street Journal

A spokesperson told the NYT that the company was confident it would “push the frontier” in AI models over the course of the year.

From Barron's

“We told every frontier model company that every lab gets the same terms,” he says, adding that he wanted the military to have access to all four labs’ technologies.

From The Wall Street Journal

Vietnam is expected to be promoted to ‘emerging’ market from ‘frontier’ market.

From The Wall Street Journal

A top Iranian official is warning that attacks on the Persian Gulf islands that form Iran’s southern maritime frontier would provoke a new level of retaliation.

From Los Angeles Times