Standard Lemma guide

frontal

adj · noun · 16 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfɹʌn.təl/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfɹʌn.tl̩/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈfɹʌn.tl̩/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈfɹʌn.l̩/
  • rhymes with -ʌntəl
  • rhymes with -ʌnəl
  • CMU ARPABET: F R AH1 N T AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, relating to, directed toward, or situated at the front.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of, relating to, directed toward, or situated at the front.

Directed against the front or at the main point or issue.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • a frontal attack

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: direct

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Parallel to the main axis of the body and at right angles to the sagittal plane.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Any of the scales of a reptile that lie in the general region of the forehead, more specifically between the eyes and to the anterior of this area.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: biology, natural-sciences, zoology, zootomy

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Of or relating to a weather front.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: climatology, meteorology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

Ellipsis of frontal bone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis

Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A decorative drapery covering the front of an altar.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: Christianity

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: antependium, forecloth

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

The façade of a building.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: architecture

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective

Meaning 10

of or relating to the front of an advancing mass of air

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • frontal rainfall

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective satellite

Meaning 11

belonging to the front part

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a frontal appendage

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

adjective satellite

Meaning 12

of or adjacent to the forehead or frontal bone

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the frontal lobes

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

adjective satellite

Meaning 13

meeting front to front

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a frontal attack
  • a head-on collision

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: head-on

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

the face or front of a building

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: facade, frontage

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: front

Narrower terms: frontispiece

15

noun

Meaning 15

a drapery that covers the front of an altar

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: curtain, drape, drapery, mantle, pall

16

noun

Meaning 16

an adornment worn on the forehead

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: frontlet

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: adornment

History

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin frontālis, from frons (“the forehead, brow, front”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix), equivalent to front + -al; cognate of French frontal. Doublet of frontalis.

From Middle English frountel, from Old French frontel, from Latin frontāle (“a frontlet, metal band for the forehead”).

Across languages

Translations

32 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: أَمَامِيّ (ʔamāmiyy) — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Arabic: جَبْهِيّ (jabhiyy) — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Arabic: أمامي (ʔamami) — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Armenian: ճակատային (čakatayin) — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Belarusian: лабавы́ (labavý) — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Bulgarian: че́лен (čélen) — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Catalan: frontal — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Chinese Mandarin: 額的 /额的 (é de) — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Czech: čelní — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Dutch: frontaal — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • French: frontal — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • German: frontal — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • German: Stirn- — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Italian: frontale — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Polish: czołowy — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Portuguese: frontal — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Russian: ло́бный (lóbnyj) — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Russian: фронта́льный (frontálʹnyj) — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Russian: лобово́й (lobovój) — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Slovak: čelný — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Spanish: frontal — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Tagalog: harapan — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Tagalog: pangharap — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Ukrainian: лобови́й (lobovýj) — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Ukrainian: чолови́й (čolovýj) — of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
  • Chinese Mandarin: 額骨 /额骨 (égǔ) — Translations
  • French: frontal — Translations
  • French: frontal — drapery covering the front of an altar
  • Galician: frontal — drapery covering the front of an altar
  • Bulgarian: фасада (fasada) — façade of a building
  • Galician: frontal — façade of a building
  • Galician: fachada — façade of a building