Anterior Definition & Meaning

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[ 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. 2022

How to use anterior in a sentence

The team saw nerve cells, or neurons, firing in the anterior cingulate cortex, an area important in human empathy and part of the brain region responsible for memory and cognition.
Mice may ‘catch’ each other’s pain — and pain relief|Carolyn Wilke|January 12, 2021|Science News
Prothorax two-thirds wider than long, sides parallel in basal half, convergent anteriorly.
Journal of Entomology and Zoology, March 1917|Various
The belly is creamy white anteriorly and vermillion red posteriorly.
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rainforests of Southern El Peten, Guatemala|William E. Duellman
A cream-colored lateral stripe is on the third and fourth dorsal scale-rows anteriorly and the second and third rows posteriorly.
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rainforests of Southern El Peten, Guatemala|William E. Duellman

Nostrils placed dorsolaterally and directed anteriorly, situated about midway between tip of snout and eye.
The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacn, Mxico|William E. Duellman
Specimens from the three mentioned localities have the dark nuchal spot bordered anteriorly by a pale blotch.
The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacn, Mxico|William E. Duellman

British Dictionary definitions for 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

Medical definitions for anterior

[ ăn-tîr′ē-ər ]

adj.

Placed before or in front.

Occurring before in time; earlier.

Of or relating to the front surface of the body, especially of the position of one structure relative to another; ventral.

Near the head or rostral end of certain embryos.

The front surface of the body.