neonatal

American  

[nee-oh-neyt-l] / ˌni oʊˈneɪt l /

adjective

1. of or relating to newborn children.

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neonatal British  

/ ˌniːəʊˈneɪtəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to newborn children, esp in the first week of life and up to four weeks old

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Usage

What does neonatal mean? Neonatal is an adjective used to describe things related to newborn babies and their care. Neonatal is a technical term used in the context of medicine and healthcare. You’re most likely to see it used in terms like neonatal unit, neonatal care, and neonatal nurse, and in the names of certain medical conditions that affect newborns. Its noun form, neonate, is another word for a newborn. Example: My sister is a neonatal nurse who specializes in caring for newborns with certain health problems.

Other Word Forms

• postneonatal
  adjective
• neonatally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of neonatal

First recorded in 1900–05; neo- + natal

Explanation

Neonatal describes the first month of a person's life. The neonatal period is that first month after a baby is born. There are also neonatal disorders that require neonatal care. Like many babies, the word neonatal's parents are from different places — neo comes from Greek and means “new,” and natal comes from the Latin word natus which means “to be born.” Neonatal means newborn. The neonatal stage is the first month of life, when a baby is tiniest and most fragile. Babies born at a hospital who can’t come home right away sometimes stay in a neonatal intensive care unit, where neonatal nurses care for them.

Example Sentences

The couple gave evidence to the National Maternity and Neonatal Safety Investigation, led by Baroness Valerie Amos out of concern maternity services "aren't being prioritised".

From BBC • May 11, 2026

Neonatal T cells can participate in the innate arm of the immune system.

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2024

Neonatal tetanus, for example, killed an estimated 787,000 newborns globally in 1988.

From Scientific American • Sep. 25, 2023

Neonatal mortality, or children dying in the first 28 days of life, was at 36 in 1,000 live births, the new study says.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 6, 2022

Durham University’s Fetal and Neonatal Research Lab took 4D ultrasound scans of 100 women when they were both 32 and 36 weeks pregnant, according to a press release from the university.

From Washington Times • Sep. 22, 2022