arterial

1 of 2

adjective

ar·​te·​ri·​al är-ˈtir-ē-əl 

1

a

: of or relating to an artery

b

: relating to or being the bright red blood present in most arteries that has been oxygenated in lungs or gills

2

: of, relating to, or constituting through traffic

arterially

är-ˈtir-ē-ə-lē 

adverb

arterial

2 of 2

noun

: a through street or highway

Synonyms

Noun

• artery
• avenue
• boulevard
• carriageway [British]
• drag
• drive
• expressway
• freeway
• high road
• highway
• pass
• pike
• road
• roadway
• route
• row
• street
• thoroughfare
• thruway
• trace
• turnpike
• way

Examples of arterial in a Sentence

Noun

one of the main arterials connecting the airport with the city

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The 20-year half-cent sales tax will fund 331 miles of new freeways and highways, in addition to 1,000 miles of new or improved arterial lane miles. —Jeremy Duda, Axios, 31 Mar. 2025

The oscillating waves of norepinephrine that create these arterial contractions are critical to the glymphatic system’s operation. —Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 8 Jan. 2025

Noun

But much of its route runs along East Washington, an arterial managed by Wisconsin, and the state transportation department prevented Madison from making the entire BRT lane bus-only during rush hour. —David Zipper, Vox, 13 Nov. 2024

In San Antonio, for instance, the city negotiated for years with the Texas DOT to add sidewalks and bike lanes to Broadway, a state arterial with seven lanes. —David Zipper, Vox, 13 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French and Medieval Latin; Middle French arterial, borrowed from Medieval Latin artēriālis, from Latin artēria — more at artery + -ālis -al entry 1

Noun

noun derivative of arterial entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1920, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing arterial

• intra-arterial

Rhymes for arterial

• bacterial
• ethereal
• funereal
• imperial
• material
• sidereal
• venereal
• antibacterial
• biomaterial
• mycobacterial
• cereal
• virial

Kids Definition

arterial

adjective

ar·​te·​ri·​al

är-ˈtir-ē-əl

1

a

: of or relating to an artery

b

: being the bright red oxygen-rich blood present in most arteries

2

: of, relating to, or being routes for through traffic

arterial highways

arterially

-ē-ə-lē

adverb

Medical Definition

arterial

adjective

ar·​te·​ri·​al är-ˈtir-ē-əl 

1

: of or relating to an artery

2

: relating to or being the bright red blood present in most arteries that has been oxygenated in lungs or gills compare venous sense 3

arterially

-ē-ə-lē 

adverb