positional

adjective

po·​si·​tion·​al pə-ˈzi-sh(ə-)nəl 

1

: of, relating to, or fixed by position

positional astronomy

2

: involving little movement

positional warfare

3

: dependent on position or environment or context

the front-articulated \k\ in \kē\ key and the back-articulated \k\ in \kül\ cool are positional variants

positionally adverb

Examples of positional in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The notion of Fernandez as the positional and spiritual successor to Jorginho at the heart of Chelsea’s midfield is in the past. —Liam Twomey, New York Times, 28 June 2025

The Clippers took Nevada guard Koby Sanders with the Knicks pick at 50, and the stars didn’t align for Duke guard Tyrese Proctor, a favorite among fans for his positional size as a 40% sharpshooter and playmaker at 6-foot-6. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 27 June 2025

For all of these reasons, teams typically use a varied approach to address different positional needs each year. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025

Pathologists say death was likely an accident Elijah’s death was caused by traumatic asphyxia, a Mexican pathologist found. Dr. Jeffrey Barnard, a pathologist who was hired by the plaintiffs, concluded that Elijah’s death was caused by positional asphyxia and that alcohol played a significant role. —Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing positional

• benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
• benign positional vertigo
• positional notation

Rhymes for positional

• additional
• conditional
• nutritional
• traditional
• transitional
• volitional
• compositional
• definitional
• depositional
• dispositional
• intuitional
• nontraditional