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

But after being listed at 6-10 by the Scarlet Knights, Bailey was measured at 6-7 1-2 without shoes at the NBA Scouting Combine, creating an issue around his positional fit. —Jack Magruder, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025

But despite occupying the same position on the teamsheet, there’s evidence that both players could co-exist in the same team, largely due to Raphinha’s tendency to cut inside into central areas, as well as his positional versatility. —Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 20 June 2025

That’s because of something called positional alcohol nystagmus, Dr. Piker explains: Within your inner ear, the alcohol gets absorbed at different rates by the fluid and the membrane, which means the two no longer share the same specific gravity. —Rachel Nall, SELF, 17 June 2025

When the landscape is always shifting, positional authority has a short shelf life. —Dr. Shekinah "ki" Magee, Forbes.com, 2 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