anatomical

adjective

an·​a·​tom·​i·​cal ˌa-nə-ˈtä-mi-kəl 

variants or less commonly anatomic

ˌa-nə-ˈtä-mik 

: of or relating to anatomy or the body structure of organisms

anatomical studies/structures/mechanisms

The mollusks are divided according to common anatomical traits into seven classes …

—Carol M. Lalli and Ronald W. Gilmer

Mayberg has been mapping anatomical areas of the brain that are either hyperactive or inactive in depressed men and women.

—Siddhartha Mukherjee

Diabetes mellitus is characterized by a broad array of physiologic and anatomic abnormalities, but its most notable feature is disturbed glucose metabolism, which results in inappropriate hyperglycemia.

—George F. Cahill, Jr. et al.

anatomically

ˌa-nə-ˈtä-mi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

… in Africa and possibly in the Middle East, anatomically modern humans were evolving.

—Rick Gore

Examples of anatomical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Love scenes in the later books went further, often adding anatomical specificity. —Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025

These anatomical changes can contribute to discomfort and pain during intercourse. —Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN, 7 Aug. 2024

For Lucca, Cronenberg’s trademark anatomical derangements — all those slimy, mutant body organs, guts and intestines spilling out of his characters like slinky toys — are how the director makes a character’s anxieties manifest: the deliquescing body as a metaphor for spiritual imbalance. —Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024

While the researchers found meaningful overlap, there were also some surprising—and, frankly, hilarious—anatomical contrasts. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined above