Word
focal
Phoneticsfo·cal
US/ˈfoʊkəɫ/
UK/fˈəʊkəl/
Definitions
01central or most important
adj. the most important or central part of something that everyone notices.
adj. relating to the main centre of interest, activity, or attention.
“The tall fountain was the focal point of the beautiful garden.”
“The CEO's keynote address served as the focal event of the conference, setting the tone for all subsequent panel discussions.”
Antonyms
02limited to one area
adj. used in medicine or science to describe something that stays in one small area.
adj. limited to a specific, localized area of the body or a physical system.
“The doctor found a focal infection that had not spread to other organs.”
“The MRI revealed a focal lesion in the left temporal lobe, which explained the patient's sudden onset of specific neurological symptoms.”
Technical
Antonyms
03a representative person
n. a person who acts as the main contact or representative for a group.
n. an individual designated as the primary representative or point of contact for a specific group within an organization.
“She was appointed as the focal for the environmental committee.”
“Each department must nominate a focal to coordinate with the central administration during the restructuring process.”
Formal · Academic
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“He is able to play as the focal point of the attack but can also drop deep and get on the ball.” “Food is a focal point for understanding broader environmental problems.” “Effectively, it can project a much larger piece of sky onto a fixed area in the telescope, called the focal plane.” Etymology
Learned borrowing from New Latin focālis. By surface analysis, focus + -al.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/focal