antenatal

American

[an-tee-neyt-l] / ˌæn tiˈneɪt l /

adjective

prenatal.

an antenatal clinic.

antenatal British

/ ˌæntɪˈneɪtəl /

adjective

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

Also called: prenatal. informal 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

antenatally

adverb

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:

antenatal vs. prenatal

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.

They didn't know each other, but they had one thing in common - they were all expecting their first child and attending antenatal classes.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

She said the risk was that antenatal care would get missed.

From BBC • Sep. 7, 2025

"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

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

But deep within her the antenatal thing that lay here had a dream.

From Dreams by Schreiner, Olive

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