frontal

noun

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

adjective

Definition 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

Other Words from frontal Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about frontal

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Synonyms & Antonyms for frontal

Synonyms: Adjective

anterior, fore, forward, front, frontward (or frontwards)

Antonyms: Adjective

aft, after, hind, hinder, hindmost, posterior, rear, rearward

Examples of frontal in a Sentence

Adjective

most cars have the engine in the frontal part

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Housed in an original Cape Edwardian mansion, the adults-only property offers full-frontal ocean views and one of the best private art collections in South Africa. — Caitlin Morton, Condé Nast Traveler, "12 Days of Deals: U.S. to Cape Town for $549 Round-Trip," 24 Dec. 2018 Frontotemporal dementia: This group of diseases is marked by the breakdown of nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, which are usually linked with personality, behavior, and language. — Korin Miller, SELF, "What’s the Difference Between Normal Age-Related Memory Decline and Signs of Dementia?," 26 Oct. 2018 The full-frontal comes to us courtesy of Batman: Damned #1, the first in a new limited series about the coc — *chokes* CAPED crusader. — Megan Farokhmanesh, The Verge, "Thanks, I hate it," 21 Sep. 2018 Kim posts a full-frontal pic wearing nothing but controversial cornrows, a luxe fur coat, and a teeny tiny thong. — Alison Caporimo, Seventeen, "Here's Every Single Time Kim Kardashian Has Posted Naked Pics on Instagram," 19 July 2018 Sempervirens Falls, short, narrow chute into pool, Big Basin Redwoods State Park; Castle Rock Falls, 50-foot free fall with viewing platform for side view (not a full frontal), Castle Rock State Park, Skyline (above Los Gatos). — Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "As winter arrives, rain ignites waterfalls across Northern California," 18 Jan. 2018 Don’t blame James Ivory for Call Me By Your Name‘s lack of full-frontal male nudity. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Call Me By Your Name's Oscar-Winning Screenwriter Blasts His Own Film for Lack of Male Nudity," 28 Mar. 2018 The team next gave participants a working-memory task and found traveling waves in their frontal and temporal lobes became more organized half a second after people were prompted to recall information. — Simon Makin, Scientific American, "“Traveling” Brain Waves May Be Critical for Cognition," 28 June 2018 Cortical folding appears to decrease with age across large swaths of the frontal, parietal and occipital lobes in both young people with autism and controls. — Rachel Zamzow, Scientific American, "Brains of Children with Autism Show Unusual Folding Patterns," 9 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The Western influence is more pronounced toward the end of the exhibition as large full frontal portraits of kings in the Western tradition replace miniature paintings. — Sharmila Mukherjee, The Seattle Times, "SAM’s ‘Peacock in the Desert’ opens the doors of our perception to the marvelous," 2 Jan. 2019 The frontal passage doesn’t do much except slightly reduce the humidity Tuesday night, which stays mild with lows in the 70s. — Brian Jackson, Washington Post, "D.C.-area forecast: Hot temps and humidity build today, with heat index near 100-105 tomorrow," 17 June 2018 National Weather Service offices in Missouri and Oklahoma said Gordon's remnants could add to the rain caused by a frontal boundary already causing heavy rains in parts of the Midwest. — Samuel Chamberlain, Fox News, "Hurricane Florence upgraded to Category 4 storm as Gordon moves inland," 6 Sep. 2018 The pose is frontal and the figure lacks the dimensional qualities of The Risen Christ (1521) in Rome’s Santa Maria sopra Minerva or the Victory (1530) in Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio. — Catesby Leigh, National Review, "A Genius in Draft Form," 20 Jan. 2018 In 1943, the zoot suit became the focal point of a frontal attack on the Mexican-American community of Los Angeles. — Mariana Gonzalez, Teen Vogue, "How the Zoot Suit Became a Symbol of Resistance for Mexican-American People," 21 Sep. 2018 There are three different planes of motion through which the body moves—the frontal plane, lateral plane and transverse plane, explains Alicea. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "Here's How to Do Octavia Spencer's Low-Impact Cardio Workout," 4 Oct. 2018 Meanwhile, strong to severe thunderstorms along with locally heavy rain will develop along a frontal boundary that extends from Texas up into the Great Lakes and out into the MidAtlantic. — Janice Dean, Fox News, "Tropical disturbance brings heavy rain to Florida," 14 May 2018 In Tennyson’s hands the light brigade’s disastrous frontal assault on Russian troops in the Crimean War produced some stirring verse. — William Mcgurn, WSJ, "Dick Durbin’s Supreme Sacrifice," 9 July 2018

These 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.