fetal

adjective

fe·​tal ˈfē-tᵊl How to pronounce fetal (audio)
: of, relating to, or being a fetus

Examples of fetal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Kara Rood, a maternal fetal medicine physician at the Ohio State University who isn't contributing to the trial, feels similarly encouraged by the early results. Ari Daniel, NPR, 14 Feb. 2026 Criminal cases against women for drug use during pregnancy have already helped to establish case law for fetal personhood in multiple states. Shoshana Walter, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026 Elliott wrote to Mark Surrogacy a few weeks later, when her ob-gyn in Texas confirmed a fetal heartbeat. Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026 The cause and the mechanism behind this link isn’t known, but prenatal metabolic factors — hyperglycemia in particular — have been implicated in fetal brain development in ways the authors suggest might influence epilepsy. Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 4 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fetal

Word History

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fetal was in 1736

Cite this Entry

“Fetal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetal. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

fetal

adjective
fe·​tal ˈfēt-ᵊl How to pronounce fetal (audio)
: of, relating to, or being a fetus

Medical Definition

fetal

adjective
fe·​tal
variants or chiefly British foetal
: of, relating to, or being a fetus

More from Merriam-Webster on fetal

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