frontier

[fruhn-teer, fron-, fruhn-teer]

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.

adjective

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

   a frontier town.

frontier

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of frontier¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of frontier¹

C14: from Old French frontiere , from front (in the sense: part which is opposite); see _front

Synonym Study

See boundary.

Example Sentences

There are hundreds of public-private partnerships and consortia, such as the Protein Data Bank, that are advancing the frontiers of biomedicines with university assistance.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The region, known as Foz de Amazonas, is part of a promising new offshore oil frontier, with nearby Guyana emerging as a major producer in less than a decade following large offshore discoveries.

Read more on Barron's

The project, fully compliant with federation regulations and competition integrity, was envisioned as a new frontier for a game seeking global relevance.

Read more on BBC

Despite being one of golf's most global travellers he is happy to still find fresh frontiers to conquer.

Read more on Barron's

"We hope to obtain excellent results from this research and prove the existence of oil in the Brazilian portion of this new global energy frontier," said Magda Chambriard, president of Petrobras.

Read more on Barron's