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
Examples of zonal in a Sentence
We installed a zonal heating system in the house.
Recent Examples on the Web
That momentum is being driven by the shift to zonal vehicle architectures, the proliferation of advanced driver-assistance systems and centralized computing platforms.
—
Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Fernandez and James will, if anything, underhit the delivery rather than overhit it, trying to avoid bringing the goalkeeper into play and focusing on landing the ball just behind the near-post zonal marker.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Tesla, Rivian and several Chinese companies have zonal electrical architectures on the road.
—Breana Noble, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
This weakness is linked to very low winds high above the Arctic, called zonal winds, which are now declining and approaching 0 m/s, a threshold that can trigger an event called major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW).
—Brandi D. Addison, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zonal
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Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Fernandez and James will, if anything, underhit the delivery rather than overhit it, trying to avoid bringing the goalkeeper into play and focusing on landing the ball just behind the near-post zonal marker.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Tesla, Rivian and several Chinese companies have zonal electrical architectures on the road.
—Breana Noble, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
This weakness is linked to very low winds high above the Arctic, called zonal winds, which are now declining and approaching 0 m/s, a threshold that can trigger an event called major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW).
—Brandi D. Addison, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zonal
Cite this Entry
“Zonal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zonal. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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