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

Both were transferred to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth and spent time in the neonatal intensive care unit, where they were diagnosed with brain injuries due to oxygen deprivation. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026

For the doctors and nurses in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, caring for twins is nothing new. — Marlee Ginter, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Such diagnoses can carry an extraordinarily poor neonatal prognosis. — Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

The baby was born 10 weeks early and spent over five weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). — Emma Banks, PEOPLE, 29 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