His job title change was considered a lateral move, possibly a demotion, and certainly not a promotion.
Source: tatoeba (2366877)
Lateral
/ˈlæt.ə.ɹəl/
Synonyms for "lateral" (241 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (49)
Strong matches (72)
epenthetic vowelexplosivefastballflankedflankingflatflingflipforward passfrontglancingglideglossalglottalglottalizationgo crabwisego sidewaysgutturalhandedhard
Show 42 more words
heaveheavyhighhurlincurveintonatedknuckleballlabiallabializationlabiodentallabiovelarlaryngeallateral passlateralizelaxleeleewardlightlingualliquidloblowmake leewaymanner of articulationmany sidedmany-sidedmidmodificationmonophthongmonophthongalmorphophonememultilateralmutemutednarrownasalnasalizednext-besideocclusiveone sidedone-sidedopen
Noun(7 words)
Adjective(2 words)
lateralednoncentral force direction
Verb(1 words)
Related words (120)
outcurveoxytonepalatalpalatalizedparasitic vowelpasspeakpegpharyngealpharyngealizationpharyngealizedphonephonemephonemicphoneticphonicpitchpitchedplosivepolyhedral
Show 86 more words
posttonicprothetic vowelputquadrilateralretroflexroundedscrewballsegmental phonemesemivowelserveserviceshot putshot-putshysidesidedsidelingsidelongsideslipsidestepsidewardsidewardssidewaysidewayssidewisesidlesinkerskewskidskirtingsliderslingsoftsonantsonorityspeech soundspitballspitterstopstoppedstressedstrongsurdsyllabicsyllabic nucleussyllabic peaksyllabletensetetrahedralthickthree-sidedthroatythrowtonaltonictosstransition soundtrihedraltrilateraltriphthongtriquetroustwangytwo sidedtwo-sidedunaccentedunilateralunroundedunstressedupcurveveervelarvocablevocalicvocoidvoicevoicedvoiced soundvoicelessvoiceless soundvoicingvowelvowellikeweakweatherwidewindward
Noun(11 words)
outeroutflankingperipheralroadsideshipsidesideside impactsidearm throwsideswipingsidewardunconventional
Adjective(2 words)
peripheral conceptsidelong
Verb(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: abaxial, abducted, accented, allophone, alveolar.
- Sentence evidence is available for lateral, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from opengloss, derived_reverse, moby, wordnet, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "lateral".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "lateral"
Keep "lateral" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "lateral" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "lateral", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "lateral" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
13 entriesMore specific
12 entriesbrainstormingcreative problem solvingdivergent thinkinglateral edgelateral epicondylelateral hornlateral linelateral malleoluslateral meniscuslateral partlateral surfacelateral ventricle
Collocations
11 entrieslateral edgelateral epicondylelateral hornlateral linelateral movementlateral partlateral rootlateral surfacelateral thinkinglateral ventriclelateral view
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
4 entriessimilar
2 entriesTranslations
33 translations across 23 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- anshëm adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Armenian
1 entries- կողմնային adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Bulgarian
1 entries- страничен adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Catalan
1 entries- lateral adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Czech
2 entries- boční adj (of or pertaining to the side)
- postranní adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Esperanto
1 entries- lateralo adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Finnish
2 entries- sivu- adj (of or pertaining to the side)
- sivuttainen adj (of or pertaining to the side)
French
1 entries- latéral adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Galician
1 entries- lateral adj (of or pertaining to the side)
German
3 entries- Seiten- adj (of or pertaining to the side)
- lateral adj (of or pertaining to the side)
- seitlich adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Hungarian
3 entries- oldal- adj (of or pertaining to the side)
- oldalirányú adj (of or pertaining to the side)
- oldalsó adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Ido
1 entries- laterala adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Irish
1 entries- cliathánach adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Italian
1 entries- laterale adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Japanese
1 entries- 横 adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Persian
2 entries- جانبی adj (of or pertaining to the side)
- کناری adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Polish
2 entries- boczny adj (of or pertaining to the side)
- lateralny adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Portuguese
1 entries- lateral adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Romanian
1 entries- lateral adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Russian
2 entries- боково́й adj (of or pertaining to the side)
- латера́льный adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- бочни adj (of or pertaining to the side)
- латералан adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Spanish
1 entries- lateral adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Tagalog
1 entries- panagiliran adj (of or pertaining to the side)
Sample sentences
18 total sentences available.
After Tom was punched in the face, the doctor ordered that two x-ray images be taken – a frontal view and a lateral view – to check for broken facial bones.
Source: tatoeba (3028950)
Dr. Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis while at Oxford.
Source: tatoeba (3958921)
The goal of the Ice Bucket Challenge was to raise awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
Source: tatoeba (5370710)
Showing 4 of 18 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "lateral"?
Closest matches include abaxial, abducted, accented, allophone, alveolar.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "lateral"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.