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

National frontiers could never again be changed by force.

From The Wall Street Journal

For his latest film, the quest for goosebumps took him to the frontier of AI as he followed researchers on an expedition they liken to the discovery of fire and electricity—or the atomic bomb.

From The Wall Street Journal

Rockefeller owned oil wells; Musk has xAI, a frontier AI lab.

From MarketWatch

“In that sense, Venezuela today has a higher probability of success than many frontier exploration plays, because the resources are well-known.”

From MarketWatch

Humanoids, self-driving, and autonomous agents may be the next frontier for artificial intelligence, but, for now, AI providers would be happy to make shopping the next big AI trend.

From Barron's