zonal

adjective

zon·​al ˈzō-nᵊl 

1

: of, relating to, affecting, or having the form of a zone

a zonal boundary

2

: of, relating to, or being a soil or a major soil group marked by well-developed characteristics that are determined primarily by the action of climate and organisms (such as vegetation) compare azonal, intrazonal

zonally

ˈzō-nᵊl-ē 

adverb

Examples of zonal in a Sentence

We installed a zonal heating system in the house.

Recent Examples on the Web

At the other end, Villa use zonal defenders around the near post, one player to protect the goalkeeper and two to monitor runs from behind the penalty spot. —Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025

Our new zonal electric architecture unlocks capabilities the industry has never seen. —Jamie L. Lareau, Freep.com, 11 Aug. 2025

Instead of a complex wiring harness with dozens or upwards of 100 electronic control units, a zonal system is more consolidated with just a small handful of ECUs. —Sam Abuelsamid, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025

Then, the Corsair K55 RGB Pro keyboard drops below $50 and gives you smooth typing, customizable macro keys, and zonal lighting that adds just the right vibe. —Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 6 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

zone entry 1 + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing zonal

• inter-zonal

Rhymes for zonal

• clonal
• sonal
• tonal
• atonal
• coronal
• hormonal
• umbonal
• veronal
• monoclonal
• polyclonal

Kids Definition

zonal

adjective

zon·​al ˈzōn-ᵊl 

: of, relating to, or having the form of a zone

a zonal boundary

Medical Definition

zonal

adjective

zon·​al ˈzōn-ᵊl 

: of, relating to, affecting, or having the form of a zone

a zonal boundary