anterior

American  

[an-teer-ee-er] / ænˈtɪər i ər /

adjective

1. situated before or at the front of; fore (posterior ).

2. going before in time or sequence; preceding; earlier.

   events anterior to the outbreak of war.

3. Linguistics. (in distinctive feature analysis) articulated in the region extending from the alveolar ridge to the lips; alveolar, dental, or labial.

4. (in animals and embryos) pertaining to or toward the head or forward end of the body.

5. (in humans) pertaining to or toward the front plane of the body, equivalent to the ventral surface of quadrupeds.

6. Botany. on the front side and away from the main axis, as the lower lip of a flower.

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anterior British  

/ ænˌtɪərɪˈɒrɪtɪ, ænˈtɪərɪə /

adjective

1. situated at or towards the front

2. earlier in time

3. zoology of or near the head end

4. botany (of part of a flower or leaf) situated farthest away from the main stem

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Other Word Forms

• anteriority noun
• anteriorly adverb
• nonanterior adjective

Etymology

Origin of anterior

1535–45; < Latin, comparative of ante before, formed on model of posterior

Explanation

The anterior of anything is the front — in humans, it's the area toward the head of the body, opposite of the posterior. Anterior can also refer to something that came before, as in "anterior to the discovery of vaccines." The word anterior is one of those words that are spelled the same in English today as they were in their Latin origins. It still has the same meaning — "former" or "before." You can remember that by remembering that the prefix ante- means "before." Emily Dickinson once wrote, "Love is anterior to life, posterior to death, initial of creation, and the exponent of breath."

Example Sentences

Charlisse Leger-Walker, a transfer from Washington State, spent the year on the sideline recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Sivo joined the Rhinos before the 2025 season but missed the whole campaign after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026

Nine-time All-Star Irving hasn't played this season as he recovers from surgery to repair a torn left anterior cruciate ligament.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

The question of whether she should have been racing at all with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament will be debated for years.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

When the doctor opened the knee up he discovered that Boobie had torn the anterior cruciate ligament.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger