longitudinal
adjective
lon·gi·tu·di·nal
| \ ˌlän-jə-ˈtüd-nəl
, -ˈtyüd-, -ˈt(y)ü-dᵊn-əl, British also ˌläŋ-gə-\
, -ˈtyüd-, -ˈt(y)ü-dᵊn-əl, British also ˌläŋ-gə-\
Definition of longitudinal
1
: placed or running lengthwise
The insect's back is black with yellow longitudinal stripes.
2
: of or relating to length or the lengthwise dimension
the longitudinal extent of the building
3
: involving the repeated observation or examination of a set of subjects over time with respect to one or more study variables
a longitudinal study of juvenile offenders over a period of five years
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Examples of longitudinal in a Sentence
The insect's body is black with yellow longitudinal stripes.
calculating the longitudinal position of a ship
a longitudinal study of career aspirations among girls from 5 to 17
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Recent Examples on the Web
Directional drilling allowed developers to reach the shale, then turn the drill bit axis from perpendicular to longitudinal and lay pipes for a mile, sometimes two, through the thick shale seams. — Keith Schneider, ProPublica, "West Virginia Bets Big on Plastics, and on Backing of Trump Administration," 31 July 2019 Large longitudinal studies, meanwhile, require time and money. — Sara Talpos, Quartz, "The dangers of energy drinks can be fatal—especially for teens," 10 July 2019 Pickups, and most luxury and performance vehicles, tend to have longitudinal engines because the layout lends itself to more power, better handling and towing. — Mark Phelan, USA TODAY, "Why the new Ford Explorer has more in common with BMW and Mercedes," 19 June 2019 The first federally funded longitudinal study of LGBT elders found that 51% of those who lived in private residences reported social isolation. — CNN, "New York's new LGBT-friendly elder housing is a lifeline, but only for a few," 27 June 2019 Pickups, and most luxury and performance vehicles, tend to have longitudinal engines because the layout lends itself to more power, better handling and towing. — Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, "2020 Ford Explorer's new RWD changes everything for the better," 18 June 2019 While retaining its core value proposition — longitudinal, relationship-based, coordinated care — primary care must differentiate into narrower, more manageable scopes of practice. — STAT, "We were inspired to become primary care physicians. Now we’re reconsidering a field in crisis," 20 June 2019 So the Bridgestone engineers encircled the tire with a few thin, longitudinal channels, and lots of short, diagonal grooves leading to the tire’s shoulder. — Nick Stockton, WIRED, "Bridgestone's New Tire Makes Driving Electric as Quiet as It Should Be," 5 June 2019 For the past 10 years, the University of Washington professor of social work and researcher has been conducting the first, national longitudinal study of aging members of the LGBTQ community called Aging with Pride. — Nicole Brodeur, The Seattle Times, "Are LGBTQ seniors dying of loneliness? It’s possible, research says," 11 Apr. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'longitudinal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for longitudinal
longitudinal
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of longitudinal
: placed or going along the long side of something
: of or relating to longitude
: done by observing or examining a group of people or things over time to study how one or two particular things about them change
See the full definition for longitudinal in the English Language Learners Dictionary
longitudinal
adjective
lon·gi·tu·di·nal
| \ ˌlän-jə-ˈtü-dᵊn-əl
, -ˈtyü-\
, -ˈtyü-\
Kids Definition of longitudinal
: placed or running lengthwise
longitudinal stripes
longitudinal
adjective
lon·gi·tu·di·nal
| \ ˌlän-jə-ˈt(y)üd-ᵊn-əl, -nəl, British also ˌläŋ-gə-ˈtyüd-\
Medical Definition of longitudinal
1
: of, relating to, or occurring in the lengthwise dimension
a longitudinal bone fracture
2
: extending along or relating to the anteroposterior axis of a body or part
a trypanosome which reproduces by longitudinal fission
3
: involving the repeated observation or examination of a set of subjects over time with respect to one or more study variables (as general health, the state of a disease, or mortality)
a longitudinal study of heart transplant recipients over a five-year period
Other Words from longitudinal
longitudinally
\ -ē
\
adverb
\
adverb
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