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

For example, highly specialized acute care environments—such as labor and delivery, neonatal intensive care units or certain intensive care unit contexts—depend on tight team cohesion and institution-specific protocols that take time to build. — Curtis Anderson, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

This also includes newborns; receiving a tetanus-containing vaccine during pregnancy helps protect infants against neonatal tetanus. — Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 23 June 2026

Since then, the Fort Collins family has been spending long days and nights in the neonatal intensive care unit at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital. — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 20 June 2026

For the next five months, the twins remained in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 17 June 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