Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

antenatal

American  
[an-tee-neyt-l] / ˌæn tiˈneɪt l /

adjective

  1. prenatal.

    an antenatal clinic.


antenatal British  
/ ˌæntɪˈneɪtəl /

adjective

  1. occurring or present before birth; during pregnancy

"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

noun

  1. Also called: prenatalinformal an examination during pregnancy

"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

Etymology

Origin of antenatal

First recorded in 1810–20; ante- + natal

Compare meaning

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

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.

See Examples For:

The reviews are likely to have included nine antenatal stillbirths that occurred between July 2021 and February 2022 at Worthing Hospital, which is also run by UH Sussex trust.

From BBC Feb. 12, 2026

The inquiry includes a review of the antenatal care provided by the trust.

From BBC Feb. 6, 2025

Given the recent steady decline in birth rate in Sweden, the researchers propose monitoring in antenatal care to address the problem.

From Science Daily Nov. 25, 2024

"Proper support and monitoring by antenatal care staff is therefore essential for women who have suffered serious health problems during pregnancy or delivery."

From Science Daily Nov. 25, 2024

It is quite true that any of these aberrations may be due to antenatal disease, but to call them abnormal does not beg that question.

From Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 Sexual Inversion by Ellis, Havelock

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training