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anterior

[ an-teer-ee-er ]
/ ænˈtɪər i ər /
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See synonyms for: anterior / anteriority / anteriorly on Thesaurus.com

adjective
situated before or at the front of; fore (opposed to posterior).
going before in time or sequence; preceding; earlier: events anterior to the outbreak of war.
Linguistics. (in distinctive feature analysis) articulated in the region extending from the alveolar ridge to the lips; alveolar, dental, or labial.
(in animals and embryos) pertaining to or toward the head or forward end of the body.
(in humans) pertaining to or toward the front plane of the body, equivalent to the ventral surface of quadrupeds.
Botany. on the front side and away from the main axis, as the lower lip of a flower.
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Origin of anterior

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

OTHER WORDS FROM anterior

an·te·ri·or·i·ty [an-teer-ee-awr-i-tee, -or-], /ænˌtɪər iˈɔr ɪ ti, -ˈɒr-/, nounan·te·ri·or·ly, adverbnon·an·te·ri·or, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use anterior in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for anterior

anterior
/ (ænˈtɪərɪə) /

adjective
situated at or towards the front
earlier in time
zoology of or near the head end
botany (of part of a flower or leaf) situated farthest away from the main stem
Compare posterior

Derived forms of anterior

anteriority (ænˌtɪərɪˈɒrɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for anterior

C17: from Latin, comparative of ante before
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
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