frontal

1 of 2

noun

fron·​tal ˈfrən-tᵊl 

1

[Middle English frontel, from Medieval Latin frontellum, diminutive of Latin front-, frons] : a cloth hanging over the front of an altar

2

: facade sense 1

frontal

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or adjacent to the forehead or the frontal bone

2

a

: of, relating to, or situated at the front

b

: directed against the front or at the main point or issue : direct

frontal assault

3

: parallel to the main axis of the body and at right angles to the sagittal plane

4

: of or relating to a meteorological front

frontally

ˈfrən-tᵊl-ē 

adverb

Synonyms

Adjective

• front
• anterior

Examples of frontal in a Sentence

Adjective

most cars have the engine in the frontal part

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Williams has a string of successful businesses, including Go Naked Hair (a line of premium wigs, bundles, closures, frontals, lashes, and more), Pampered by Porsha (a luxury sheet collection) and Porsha4Real (her thriving YouTube channel). —Dave Quinn, People.com, 23 June 2025

There’s some nonsexual nudity, including brief full frontals, set in a virtual world. —Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024

Adjective

Over four seasons of The Righteous Gemstones, viewers could rely on certain things: male full frontal, jokes about ass play, a moment of physical comedy from Edi Patterson’s petulant and petty Judy Gemstone that might cause your face to break from laughter. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 May 2025

Or consider the sizable percentage of death row prisoners with histories of traumatic brain injury to their frontal cortex. —Jessica Riskin, The New York Review of Books, 3 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

New Latin frontalis, from Latin front-, frons

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing frontal

• frontal bone
• frontal lobe

Rhymes for frontal

• orbitofrontal
• prefrontal

Kids Definition

frontal

adjective

front·​al

ˈfrənt-ᵊl

1

: of, relating to, or next to the forehead

2

: of, relating to, or directed at the front

a frontal attack

frontally

-ᵊl-ē

adverb

Medical Definition

frontal

adjective

fron·​tal ˈfrənt-ᵊl 

1

: of, relating to, or adjacent to the forehead or the frontal bone

2

: of, relating to, or situated at the front or anteriorly

3

: parallel to the main axis of the body and at right angles to the sagittal plane

a frontal plane

frontally

-ᵊl-ē 

adverb