longitudinal
adjective
lon·gi·tu·di·nal
ˌlän-jə-ˈtüd-nəl 
-ˈtyüd-,
-ˈt(y)ü-dᵊn-əl,
British also ˌläŋ-gə-
1
: placed or running lengthwise
The insect's back is black with yellow longitudinal stripes.
2
: of or relating to length or the lengthwise dimension
the longitudinal extent of the building
3
: involving the repeated observation or examination of a set of subjects over time with respect to one or more study variables
a longitudinal study of juvenile offenders over a period of five years
longitudinally
adverb
Examples of longitudinal in a Sentence
The insect's body is black with yellow longitudinal stripes.
calculating the longitudinal position of a ship
a longitudinal study of career aspirations among girls from 5 to 17
Recent Examples on the Web
Meanwhile, the Dog Aging Project is following about 50,000 dogs in a longitudinal study of aging.
—
Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 15 Apr. 2024
Seconds after weighing your baby, the app provides detailed information about their weight, including a comparison to national averages and a longitudinal graph displayed over a day, week, month, or all time.
—Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024
The new report analyzed levels of the chemical compounds in the blood of 1,100 people between 2003 and 2004 who were participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a longitudinal federal study on the health of US citizens.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
This longitudinal study has been in existence since the early 1960s, but this study used data collected from 2005–2010, 2013–2014, and 2017–2018.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 23 Mar. 2024
Understanding Your Risk and Easing Symptoms Alleva explained that the research teams performed both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of electronic health records employing statistical methods rooted in causal inference theory, such as propensity score matching.
—Lauryn Higgins, Health, 17 Nov. 2023
Retail audio advertising is particularly well-suited to programmatic technology that captures real-time and longitudinal data to automate message content and timing.
—Amanda Dorenberg, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2023
The longitudinal data gives the researchers a picture of individual lives that cannot be gleaned from the large counts mandated every two years by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, but conducted annually in many places, including Los Angeles.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023
Beginning with 2018, the report offers longitudinal insights into key technology sectors, startups, and investors.
—Mark Flickinger, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 15 Apr. 2024
Seconds after weighing your baby, the app provides detailed information about their weight, including a comparison to national averages and a longitudinal graph displayed over a day, week, month, or all time.
—Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024
The new report analyzed levels of the chemical compounds in the blood of 1,100 people between 2003 and 2004 who were participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a longitudinal federal study on the health of US citizens.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
This longitudinal study has been in existence since the early 1960s, but this study used data collected from 2005–2010, 2013–2014, and 2017–2018.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 23 Mar. 2024
Understanding Your Risk and Easing Symptoms Alleva explained that the research teams performed both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of electronic health records employing statistical methods rooted in causal inference theory, such as propensity score matching.
—Lauryn Higgins, Health, 17 Nov. 2023
Retail audio advertising is particularly well-suited to programmatic technology that captures real-time and longitudinal data to automate message content and timing.
—Amanda Dorenberg, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2023
The longitudinal data gives the researchers a picture of individual lives that cannot be gleaned from the large counts mandated every two years by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, but conducted annually in many places, including Los Angeles.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023
Beginning with 2018, the report offers longitudinal insights into key technology sectors, startups, and investors.
—Mark Flickinger, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'longitudinal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near longitudinal
Cite this Entry
“Longitudinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/longitudinal. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
longitudinal
adjective
lon·gi·tu·di·nal
ˌlän-jə-ˈt(y)üd-nəl
-ᵊn-əl
1
: of or relating to length
2
: placed or running lengthwise
longitudinally
adverb
-ē
Medical Definition
longitudinal
adjective
lon·gi·tu·di·nal
ˌlän-jə-ˈt(y)üd-ᵊn-əl, -nəl, British also ˌläŋ-gə-ˈtyüd-
1
: of, relating to, or occurring in the lengthwise dimension
a longitudinal bone fracture
2
: extending along or relating to the anteroposterior axis of a body or part
a trypanosome which reproduces by longitudinal fission
3
: involving the repeated observation or examination of a set of subjects over time with respect to one or more study variables (as general health, the state of a disease, or mortality)
a longitudinal study of heart transplant recipients over a five-year period
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