antenatal

adjective

an·​te·​na·​tal ˌan-ti-ˈnā-tᵊl 

chiefly British

: prenatal

antenatal diagnosis of birth defects

antenatally

ˌan-ti-ˈnā-tᵊl-ē 

adverb

Examples of antenatal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To prevent women from contracting HIV from their partners while pregnant, antenatal clinics hope to start offering vaginal rings, which slowly release a protective antiretroviral drug over the course of a month. — David Cox, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026

The health center serves more than 35,000 households, offering safe deliveries, antenatal care, child health consultations, immunization, nutrition support and emergency referrals. — Unicef Usa, Forbes.com, 16 June 2026

In the ministry of health’s Health Statistics Report 2021, 38 percent of all Mauritian women who received antenatal care in public hospitals were reported as anaemic. — Ariel Saramandi, The Dial, 29 July 2025

The women receive the supplements during their routine antenatal visits to a health care facility. — Unicef Usa, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for antenatal

• hiatal
• neonatal
• perinatal
• datal
• fatal
• nonfatal
• postnatal
• prenatal

Medical Definition

antenatal

adjective

an·​te·​na·​tal -ˈnāt-ᵊl 

chiefly British

: prenatal

antenatal diagnosis of birth defects

antenatal patients

antenatal clinics

antenatally

-ē 

adverb

Altogether 57 cases from 31,000 pregnancies were detected antenatally.

—Tim Radford, The Guardian (London)