neonatal

adjective

neo·​na·​tal ˌnē-ō-ˈnā-tᵊl 

: of, relating to, or affecting the newborn and especially the human infant during the first month after birth

neonatal mortality

neonatal intensive care unit

neonatally

ˌnē-ō-ˈnā-tᵊl-ē 

adverb

Examples of neonatal in a Sentence

a neonatal intensive care unit

Recent Examples on the Web

Ancient Mesopotamians did not have obstetric medicine, reliable methods for assessing the health of a fetus in utero, gynecological surgery, or neonatal care. — Eleanor Johnson, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

Emergency responders took the baby to Woodland Memorial Hospital, then to a Sacramento County neonatal intensive care unit, the Sheriff’s Office said. — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Eirian Powell, the neonatal manager, had analyzed Letby’s shifts, in addition to multiple factors that could have contributed to each death, including congenital abnormalities and failures with transportation between hospitals. — Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026

Sheriff’s officials said the infant was later taken to a hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit in Sacramento County for further medical evaluation. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin neonatus neonate + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for neonatal

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

Medical Definition

neonatal

adjective

neo·​na·​tal ˌnē-ō-ˈnāt-ᵊl 

: of, relating to, or affecting the newborn and especially the human infant during the first month after birth

neonatal jaundice

neonatal death

compare prenatal, intranatal, postnatal

neonatally

-ᵊl-ē 

adverb