1
: of, relating to, or situated near the spinal column
2
a
: of, relating to, or affecting the spinal cord
spinal reflexes
b
: having the spinal cord functionally isolated (as by surgical section) from the brain
experiments on spinal animals
3
: of, relating to, or resembling a spine
: a spinal anesthetic
Examples of spinal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Shelly has had two spinal fusion surgeries and suffers from chronic pain, which has prevented her from working full-time since 2015, the couple said.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025
Eve Chen, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
The Reverie Recliner Sofa has a unique design that looks soft and cradles the body – from head support to full spinal alignment.
—Omaid Homayun, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spinal
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Adjective
After more than three decades of hard living on the road, Snider has been mostly away from the stage since 2022, suffering from spinal stenosis.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Shelly has had two spinal fusion surgeries and suffers from chronic pain, which has prevented her from working full-time since 2015, the couple said.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
The sheriff’s office incident report noted Rodriguez Zavala had a pre-existing spinal injury and was taking medication.
—Eve Chen, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
The Reverie Recliner Sofa has a unique design that looks soft and cradles the body – from head support to full spinal alignment.
—Omaid Homayun, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spinal
Cite this Entry
“Spinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spinal. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
spinal
1 of 2 adjective
spi·nal
ˈspīn-ᵊl 
1
: of, relating to, or situated near the spinal column
2
a
: of, relating to, or affecting the spinal cord
spinal reflexes
b
: having the spinal cord functionally isolated (as by surgical section) from the brain
experiments on spinal animals
c
: used for spinal anesthesia
a spinal anesthetic
3
: made for or fitted to the spinal column
a spinal brace
spinal
2 of 2 noun
: a spinal anesthetic
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