Definition of ANTERIOR

adjective an·te·ri·or \ an-ˈtir-ē-ər \

Updated on: 13 May 2018

Definition of anterior

1 a : situated before or toward the front

an anterior ligament

b : situated near or toward the head or part most nearly corresponding to a head

2 : coming before in time or development

labor problems anterior to the strike

—

anteriorly

adverb

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Examples of anterior in a Sentence

the anterior part of the brain
the anterior chamber of the eye is bounded in front by the cornea

Recent Examples of anterior from the Web

The 21-year-old had surgery last June to repair the left anterior capsule in his pitching shoulder, and his return was projected at 12-to-14 months.

— Washington Post, "Buehler, Dodgers’ bullpen combine to no-hit Padres in Mexico," 5 May 2018
There is usually persistent pain over the ACJ which is located at your anterior shoulder.

— SI.com, "Injury Analysis: Everything You Need to Know About Isco’s ACJ Injury in 1 Minute," 30 Apr. 2018
And then there’s our friend the anterior cingulate gyrus, aka the worrywart center, which is more developed in the female brain.

— katty kay, Time, "How to Help Young Girls Keep Their Confidence During Puberty," 20 Apr. 2018
Myerthall and many of his colleagues use a direct anterior approach, a viable option for more than 95 percent of patients.

— tj gibson, azcentral, "Looking at hip replacement differently," 5 Mar. 2018
Keeping your hips in proper alignment during this phase requires a lot of core strength, specifically from your anterior core muscles, which wrap around your lower stomach to help stabilize your hips and spine.

— jenny mccoy, SELF, "Kate Upton’s Trainer Isn’t a Fan of Burpees—Here's Why the Move Is So Controversial," 27 Mar. 2018
His specialty interests include orthopaedic trauma and fracture care, partial- and total-knee replacement, anterior-hip replacement, and sports injuries.

— Cincinnati.com, "Doctor Profile: Timothy B. McConnell, M.D.," 12 Feb. 2018
Wentz blew out his left knee Dec. 10, tearing both the anterior and lateral cruciate ligaments.

— nancy armour, USA TODAY, "Which of today's free agent deals will be tomorrow's NFL busts?," 13 Mar. 2018
When the active mechanism is in play, networks in the anterior prefrontal cortex are activated.

— nicola ballhausen, Scientific American, "Foresee and Forget: How to Remember the Future," 7 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anterior.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Anterior generally appears in either medical or scholarly contexts. Anatomy books refer to the anterior lobe of the brain, the anterior cerebral artery, the anterior facial vein, etc. Scholar and lawyers may use anterior to mean "earlier in time or order". For example, supporters of states' rights point out that the individual states enjoyed certain rights anterior to their joining the union. And prenuptial agreements are designed to protect the assets that one or both parties acquired anterior to the marriage.

Origin and Etymology of anterior

Latin, comparative of ante before — more at ante-

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1541

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

anterior Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of anterior

preceding, antecedent, foregoing, previous, prior, former, anterior mean being before. preceding usually implies being immediately before in time or in place.