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

After spending more than nine months in the neonatal intensive care unit at Virtua Voorhees Hospital, Myla was discharged and headed home with her mother. —CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026

The new hospital will include an emergency department, surgical suits, labor and delivery and neonatal intensive care unit. —Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Feb. 2026

The finest medical minds in the nation had no modern neonatal devices or treatments to lift the tiny baby’s chances of survival. —Steven Levingston, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026

Nico, 5, and Noah, 3, were both born prematurely and spent time in the neonatal ICU. —Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 19 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin neonatus neonate + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for neonatal

• hiatal
• nonfatal
• postnatal
• prenatal
• antenatal
• 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