longitudinal

adjective

lon·​gi·​tu·​di·​nal ˌlän-jə-ˈtüd-nəl How to pronounce longitudinal (audio)
-ˈtyüd-,
-ˈt(y)ü-dᵊn-əl,
 British also  ˌläŋ-gə-
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
longitudinally adverb

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
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Related article Weekend-only workouts may also be protecting your heart health The scientists examined two sets of survey data from the Mexico City Prospective Study, a longitudinal study that followed the health of thousands of people in the Mexican capital over many years. Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024 Finally, this study does not take into account other confounding influences such as socioeconomic status and peer effects—an indication that the research on teen marijuana use should be done by using longitudinal studies to understand their trends. Dario Sabaghi, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024 This includes longitudinal care coordination between PCPs and specialists, as well as navigators and patient advocates. Owen Tripp, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024 Harvard Medical School researchers did a longitudinal study on 9845 preadolescents. Mark Travers, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for longitudinal 

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of longitudinal was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near longitudinal

Cite this Entry

“Longitudinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/longitudinal. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

longitudinal

adjective
lon·​gi·​tu·​di·​nal ˌlän-jə-ˈt(y)üd-nəl How to pronounce longitudinal (audio)
-ᵊn-əl
1
: of or relating to length
2
: placed or running lengthwise
longitudinally
adverb

Medical Definition

longitudinal

adjective
lon·​gi·​tu·​di·​nal
ˌlän-jə-ˈt(y)üd-ᵊn-əl, -nəl, British also ˌläŋ-gə-ˈtyüd-
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
longitudinally adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on longitudinal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!