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

Hay, who works as a neonatal nurse assistant at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, is now considering early retirement on health grounds, per the Doncaster Free Press. —Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025

Researchers found a drastic drop in evictions and fewer preterm births and neonatal intensive care unit admissions. —Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 7 Nov. 2025

He’s been home recovering since Oct. 6, and has been reunited with his firstborn son, who was discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit at Texas Health Resources in Alliance after over 100 days. —Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025

The error rate is up to 47% in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, where fragile newborns are treated, according to a Vanderbilt spokesperson. —Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 22 Oct. 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