frontier

American  

[fruhn-teer, fron-, fruhn-teer] / frʌnˈtɪər, frɒn-, ˈfrʌn tɪər /

noun

1. the part of a country that borders another country; boundary; border.

2. the land or territory that forms the furthest extent of a country's settled or inhabited regions.

3. Often frontiers.

   1. the limit of knowledge or the most advanced achievement in a particular field.

      the frontiers of physics.

   2. an outer limit in a field of endeavor, especially one in which the opportunities for research and development have not been exploited.

      the frontiers of space exploration.

4. Mathematics. boundary.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or located on the frontier.

   a frontier town.

frontier British  

/ frʌnˈtɪə, ˈfrʌntɪə /

noun

1. 1. the region of a country bordering on another or a line, barrier, etc, marking such a boundary

   2. ( as modifier )

      a frontier post

2. 1. the edge of the settled area of a country

   2. ( as modifier )

      the frontier spirit

3. (often plural) the limit of knowledge in a particular field

   the frontiers of physics have been pushed back

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Related Words

See boundary.

Other Word Forms

• frontierless adjective
• frontierlike adjective
• semifrontier noun
• transfrontier adjective

Etymology

Origin of frontier

1350–1400; Middle English frounter < Old French frontier, equivalent to front (in the sense of opposite side; front ) + -ier -ier ²

Example Sentences

AI is here, and even those on the frontier seem uncertain whether it is our savior or doom.

From The Wall Street Journal

It has its own frontier AI models that are directly challenging OpenAI, plus a much bigger balance of net cash to fund its AI pursuits.

From The Wall Street Journal

Uganda announced in November last year that its recoverable crude oil reserves had increased to 1.65 billion barrels from 1.4 billion following updated evaluations, positioning the country as the latest frontier in Africa’s energy markets.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’ll give him plenty of time to conquer another frontier for the sport: five rotations.

From Los Angeles Times

The investment costs involved in being at the frontier of developing foundational models are prohibitive for India, the government said in a recent economic report.

From The Wall Street Journal