spatial

American  

[spey-shuhl] / ˈspeɪ ʃəl /

Rarely spacial

adjective

1. of or relating to space, the three-dimensional realm or expanse in which all material objects are located and all events occur.

2. existing or occurring in space; having extension in space.

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spatial British  

/ ˈspeɪʃəl, ˌspeɪʃɪˈælɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of or relating to space

2. existing or happening in space

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Other Word Forms

• nonspatial adjective
• nonspatiality noun
• quasi-spatial adjective
• spatiality noun
• spatially adverb
• unspatial adjective
• unspatiality noun

Etymology

Origin of spatial

First recorded in 1840–50; from Latin spati(um) space + -al ¹

Compare meaning

How does spatial compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• spatial vs. temporal summation

Example Sentences

To overcome these obstacles, the team developed a forward modeling approach that improves spatial resolution by incorporating detailed information about the boundaries between oceans and land.

From Science Daily

"It is more a peripheral vision or spatial awareness thing, sensing that something isn't quite right in the defence or there is more space than there should be."

From BBC

His central metaphor is the memory palace, an ancient Greek mnemonic technique that employs spatial imagination to organize and access information.

From The Wall Street Journal

These effects can shift steering angles, move focal points, and reduce spatial accuracy.

From Science Daily

"It truly is the first time in history that one can modulate activity deep in the brain, centimeters from the scalp, examining subcortical structures with high spatial resolution," Freeman says.

From Science Daily