Word
anterior
Phoneticsan·te·ri·or
US/ænˈtɪɹiɝ/
UK/æntˈiəɹɪɐ/
Definitions
01front of the body
adj. describes the front part of a person's or animal's body.
adj. situated at or directed toward the front of the body or a specific organ.
“The doctor examined the anterior part of the patient's knee to check for swelling.”
“The surgeon made a small incision in the anterior chamber of the eye to relieve the pressure caused by the fluid buildup.”
Technical
Usage
In human anatomy, this is synonymous with 'ventral', though 'anterior' is more common in clinical reports.
Antonyms
02earlier in time
adj. coming before something else in time or order.
adj. occurring before in time; prior or preceding.
“The events anterior to the war are often studied to understand why it started.”
“The researcher argued that the cultural shifts anterior to the industrial revolution were the primary drivers of technological change.”
Formal · Academic
Usage
Often followed by the preposition 'to' when making a comparison.
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“The Real Sociedad bench erupted and the goalscorer, who suffered back-to-back anterior cruciate ligament injuries in 2021 and 2023 and only fully rediscovered her form last season, was engulfed by her teammates.” “Another central midfielder looks essential, particularly after Amadou Onana tore his anterior cruciate ligament at the World Cup.” Etymology
Borrowed from Latin anterior (“that is before, foremost”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/anterior