spatial

American  

[spey-shuhl] / ˈspeɪ ʃəl /

Rarely spacial

adjective

1. of or relating to space, the three-dimensional realm or expanse in which all material objects are located and all events occur.

2. existing or occurring in space; having extension in space.

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spatial British  

/ ˈspeɪʃəl, ˌspeɪʃɪˈælɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of or relating to space

2. existing or happening in space

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Other Word Forms

• nonspatial
  adjective
• nonspatiality
  noun
• quasi-spatial
  adjective
• spatiality
  noun
• spatially
  adverb
• unspatial
  adjective
• unspatiality
  noun

Etymology

Origin of spatial

First recorded in 1840–50; from Latin spati(um) space + -al ¹

Compare meaning

How does spatial compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• spatial vs. temporal summation

Explanation

Spatial describes how objects fit together in space, either among the planets or down here on earth. There's a spatial relationship between Mars and Venus, as well as between the rose bushes in the backyard. Spatial has to do with the distance between things, so mathematicians and computer scientists love using the word. "They measured the spatial relations of ping-pong balls in the gravity-free room." It can also refer to how people perceive the objects in front of them. If you're not wearing your glasses, your spatial perception might be off. If you're a space cadet, you might wander off into space. Not surprisingly, spatial is from the Latin word spatium for "space."

Example Sentences

Spatial computing “is a technology that’s starting to adapt to the user instead of requiring the user adapting to the technology,” Hackl said.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 2, 2024

The result: Spatial reorganization alone would increase food production by an average of 83 percent, water availability by eight percent, and CO2 storage capacity by three percent.

From Science Daily • Oct. 20, 2023

Esther Margulies, professor with the USC School of Architecture and Dornsife Spatial Sciences Institute, has been working with a team to address tree canopy inequity in L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2023

"Spatial" planning will take account of the layers of pressure on sea lochs, and the "cumulative impact" of the industry over time will be taken into account.

From BBC • Jul. 21, 2023

Currently, the only existing STM is a prototype—known as STM1—located at latitude 39.605829 and longitude -75.718580, in the Spatial Teleportation Laboratory at the University of Delaware.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly