ENGLISH
REFERENCE

frontal

adj.
C1 Advanced US //ˈfɹəntəɫ// UK //fɹˈʌntəl// frontal

adj. relating to the front part of something, especially the forehead or the front of the brain. It describes things that are at the very front or happen from the front.

adj. relating to, positioned at, or directed toward the front. In anatomical contexts, it specifically refers to the forehead or the anterior part of the brain.


SIMPLE

The car suffered heavy frontal damage in the crash.

CONTEXTUAL

The frontal lobe of the brain is responsible for high-level functions like planning and decision-making.

COMPLEX

The military strategy shifted from a direct frontal assault to a series of flanking maneuvers designed to weaken the enemy's supply lines without a head-on collision.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

Borrowed from New Latin frontālis, from frons (“the forehead, brow, front”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix), equivalent to front + -al; cognate of French frontal. Doublet of frontalis.

Etymology 2

From Middle English frountel, from Old French frontel, from Latin frontāle (“a frontlet, metal band for the forehead”).

Usage

Typically used attributively before a noun. In medical contexts, it often refers to the frontal bone or frontal lobe.

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