1
as in front
being at or in the forward part or surface of something
the anterior chamber of the eye is bounded in front by the cornea
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in previous
going before another in time or order
fossils from an anterior geologic age
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of anterior
Tight hip flexors pull your pelvis forward into an anterior tilt, forcing your back into an arch that compresses your lumbar spine and stresses low-back muscles.
—
Dana Santas, CNN Money, 17 Nov. 2025
The major muscles worked in this exercise include ankle stabilizers like the tibialis anterior and posterior, calves, quadriceps, glutes, and hip flexors.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 31 Oct. 2025
The researchers used a special kind of PET scan to detect changes in acetylcholine levels in the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region that's important for making decisions and detecting errors.
—Jon Hamilton, NPR, 22 Oct. 2025
The anterior cingulate cortex, your brain’s conflict detector, becomes hyperactive in ambiguous situations.
—Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Big Think, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anterior
Dana Santas, CNN Money, 17 Nov. 2025
The major muscles worked in this exercise include ankle stabilizers like the tibialis anterior and posterior, calves, quadriceps, glutes, and hip flexors.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 31 Oct. 2025
The researchers used a special kind of PET scan to detect changes in acetylcholine levels in the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region that's important for making decisions and detecting errors.
—Jon Hamilton, NPR, 22 Oct. 2025
The anterior cingulate cortex, your brain’s conflict detector, becomes hyperactive in ambiguous situations.
—Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Big Think, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anterior
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anterior
Adjective
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DNA tests showed blood found on Guthrie's front porch was a match to her, the sheriff said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
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Heartfield’s 1934 image, used on the front cover of the left-wing Workers’ Illustrated Magazine (Arbeiter-Illustrierte-Zeitung) shows Joseph Goebbels, chief Nazi propagandist, as Hitler’s barber.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Many of those include previous Gasthaus customers.—
Amanda Hancock,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Feb. 2026
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The Winneshiek County dairy with about 330 head of dairy cattle has been cited for two previous fish kill incidents, where manure leaked from the operation into a tributary of Dry Run Creek.—
Cami Koons,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Instead of being a mere foot soldier following orders from more frontal brain regions, M1 helps plan, guide and coordinate action.—
Allison Parshall,
Scientific American,
4 Feb. 2026
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Temperatures ahead of the frontal boundary will warm into the lower 70s, which would be several degrees above the early-February average of 64 degrees.—
Newsroom Meteorologist,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anterior.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anterior. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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