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

Washington’s offensive line began the year projected as one of its most consistent positional groups. — Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

But since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, frontline combat has seen the return of positional warfare centered on fortified networks of trenches. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026

The rookie linebacker has positional flexibility but also has received elevated reps since the start of training camp. — Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2026

Bardwell is a solid athlete, nice fluidity, with positional size and length. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026

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