Anterior
//anˈtɪə.ɹi.ə// adj
adj ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 a tooth situated at the front of the mouth wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Nearer the forward end, especially in the front of the body; nearer the head or forepart of an animal. not-comparable
"Transillumination of anterior teeth, using the composite curing light placed labially to shine through the tooth and be viewed using the mouth mirror, shows up any cavities as dark interproximal shadows."
- 2 Nearer the forward end, especially in the front of the body; nearer the head or forepart of an animal.; (of a part of a flower or leaf) Situated further away from the mainstem. not-comparable
- 3 Nearer the forward end, especially in the front of the body; nearer the head or forepart of an animal.; Pronounced with an obstruction located in front of the palato-alveolar region of the mouth, e.g. b, p, d, t. not-comparable
- 4 Coming before or earlier in time or development, prior to, preceding. formal, not-comparable
"anterior to the time when mankind have become capable of being improved by free and equal discussion."
Adjective
- 1 earlier in time wordnet
- 2 of or near the head end or toward the front plane of a body wordnet
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"The scientists used a group of students in their study. They discovered that students who described themselves as social and economic liberals had a greater density of gray matter in a brain region called the anterior cingulate."
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin anterior (“that is before, foremost”).
Related phrases
More for "anterior"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.