fetal

adjective

fe·​tal ˈfē-tᵊl 

: of, relating to, or being a fetus

Examples of fetal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And how common is fetal abduction? — Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2026

The figures of fetal presentations from the sixteenth century are odd, charming things. — Literary Hub, 16 June 2026

Secretary Kennedy went on television and made false claims about the MMR vaccines, even claiming there were fetal parts in it. — CBS News, 28 June 2026

Normally, this modifier gene suppresses the creation of a second kind of hemoglobin, typically made only during fetal development; repressing the gene prompts cells to start making the fetal form of hemoglobin again, which acts as a backup. — Roxanne Khamsi, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fetal

• fetal alcohol syndrome
• fetal hemoglobin
• fetal position

Rhymes for fetal

• beetle
• foetal
• centripetal
• decretal
• varietal

Kids Definition

fetal

adjective

fe·​tal ˈfēt-ᵊl 

: of, relating to, or being a fetus

Medical Definition

fetal

adjective

fe·​tal

variants or chiefly British foetal

ˈfēt-ᵊl 

: of, relating to, or being a fetus