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fron·tal | \ ˈfrən-tᵊl 
\
\Definition of frontal
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
[Middle English frontel, from Medieval Latin frontellum, diminutive of Latin front-, frons] : a cloth hanging over the front of an altar
2 : facade sense 1
frontal
adjectiveDefinition of frontal (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : of, relating to, or adjacent to the forehead or the frontal bone
2a : of, relating to, or situated at the front
b : directed against the front or at the main point or issue : direct frontal assault
3 : parallel to the main axis of the body and at right angles to the sagittal plane
4 : of or relating to a meteorological front
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Other Words from frontal
Adjective
frontally \ ˈfrən-tᵊl-ē \ adverb
\ adverbSynonyms & Antonyms for frontal
Synonyms: Adjective
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of frontal in a Sentence
Adjective
most cars have the engine in the frontal part
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Since the frontal cortex of an adolescent brain is still developing, teenagers aren’t fully able to reason or control impulses.
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Joelle Renstrom, The Conversation, "Is secondhand screen time the new secondhand smoking?," 22 Jan. 2020 Many of her pictures were compositionally similar—frontal, focussed on one person and one sign.
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Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, "The Erasure of Political History at the National Archives," 19 Jan. 2020 These questions become doubly important in the case of Cunningham, who eliminated the reassuring frontal focus of traditional dance.
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Marina Harss, The New Yorker, "Dancing with Merce Cunningham in Three Dimensions," 9 Dec. 2019 Swap your disposable head ties for a satin sash to lay your edges and lace frontals.
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Shalwah Evans, Essence, "5 Simple Ways To Make Your Daily Beauty Routine Eco-Friendly," 2 Oct. 2019 The crucial difference is that both parties are naked—not only naked, in the woman’s case, but standing up in the water, exposing herself in full-frontal immodesty to Brian and the cool Pacific breezes.
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The Economist, "Hippie Inc: how the counterculture went corporate," 29 Nov. 2019 When a frontal assault fails, a parasite may take an indirect route to send its own self-serving chemical signals into a brain.
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Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Inside the Forever War Against Parasites Trying To Control Our Brains," 23 Sep. 2019 The disease afflicts about 5,000 patients in the United States and causes rapid nerve cell loss in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.
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BostonGlobe.com, "A rare inherited form of early-onset dementia that typically strikes people between the ages of 45 and 65 is the focus of a new Cambridge biotech startup that was officially launched Thursday.," 7 Nov. 2019 Sunday featured much milder temperatures and Veterans Day involves a frontal system stalled north of Boston with cold and snowy weather across parts of Maine, Northern New Hampshire, and Vermont.
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BostonGlobe.com, "Record-setting cold air is coming our way this week - The Boston Globe," 11 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Cloudy skies and a pre-frontal band of showers could help to make conditions less favorable for storms later tonight.
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Leigh Morgan, al, "Severe weather possible in parts of Alabama later tonight," 30 Nov. 2019 And the epic ground battle on the moon of Endor is… a frontal onslaught toward a small forest shack with a difficult door.
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Darren Franich, EW.com, "Return of the Jedi," 6 Nov. 2019 As this frontal system approaches, there will be developing showers and thunderstorms once again.
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Dave Epstein, BostonGlobe.com, "There’s more humidity and possibly severe weather on the way," 21 Aug. 2019 Offering the perfect balance of tremendous energy, large frontal diameter, ballistic efficiency, and long barrel life, the .338 has garnered disciples among rifle savants such as F&S' own David E. Petzal.
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Field & Stream, "The 12 Best Cartridges for Elk Hunting," 10 May 2019 Al Asad base in Iraq’s Anbar Province was the focus of numerous vague threat reports, including one warning that hundreds of fighters from Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia trained and equipped by Iran, might launch a frontal assault on the base.
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New York Times, "3 Hours From Alert to Attacks: Inside the Race to Protect U.S. Forces From Iran Strikes," 8 Jan. 2020 That sound is their signal to swarm over the top of the trench wall for another direct, frontal attack on the enemy.
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Mike Oliver | Moliver@al.com, al, "Happy birthday to me and mentor who also chronicled his death," 22 Oct. 2019 The frontal boundary responsible for South Florida’s dry weather will begin to fizzle by Friday as the next low pressure system starts to push across the country from the Rockies toward the Great Lakes region.
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Doug Phillips, sun-sentinel.com, "Thanksgiving week starts out cool, but will warm up.," 25 Nov. 2019 Advanced Smart City Brake Support with Pedestrian Detection helps avoid frontal collisions while driving at slow city speeds.
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Tribune News Service, cleveland, "Mazda6 sedan gets updates for 2019, including advanced safety technology," 9 Nov. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'frontal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for frontal
frontal
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of frontal
: relating to the front of something : directed at the front
: relating to or showing the front of the human body
See the full definition for frontal in the English Language Learners Dictionary
frontal
adjectivefron·tal | \ ˈfrən-tᵊl \
\Kids Definition of frontal
: of or directed at a front
a frontal attack
frontal
adjectivefron·tal | \ ˈfrənt-ᵊl \
\Medical Definition of frontal
1 : of, relating to, or adjacent to the forehead or the frontal bone
2 : of, relating to, or situated at the front or anteriorly
3 : parallel to the main axis of the body and at right angles to the sagittal plane
a frontal plane
Other Words from frontal
frontally \ -ᵊl-ē \ adverb
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Time Traveler for frontal
The first known use of frontal was in the 14th century
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