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

Danielle Price spent the first five months of her life in a neonatal intensive care unit, and her brother, Devon, the first seven months. —Fred Clasen-Kelly, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025

Voices calling for Soliman’s release include parents who met him in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. —Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025

But if the person giving birth doesn't have immunity to tetanus, nonsterile delivery practices can result in neonatal tetanus. —Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025

In just three months at an Argentinian neonatal unit, five babies died and eight more went into crisis — each tied to the same nurse’s shift. —Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025

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