longitudinal
adjective
lon·gi·tu·di·nal
ˌlän-jə-ˈtüd-nəl 
-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
The team recently published the third and final report of their longitudinal study.
—
Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2024
Homelessness – five of the 14 agencies that contribute to Connecticut’s state longitudinal data system, P20 WIN.
—Adhlere Coffy, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2024
The poles were not up on a curb but level with the road and surrounded with longitudinal yellow striping to define the viable path for vehicles.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 12 June 2024
For more than three decades, Lord has been running a single longitudinal study of autistic people, for example.
—Webb Wright, Scientific American, 5 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for longitudinal 
Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2024
Homelessness – five of the 14 agencies that contribute to Connecticut’s state longitudinal data system, P20 WIN.
—Adhlere Coffy, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2024
The poles were not up on a curb but level with the road and surrounded with longitudinal yellow striping to define the viable path for vehicles.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 12 June 2024
For more than three decades, Lord has been running a single longitudinal study of autistic people, for example.
—Webb Wright, Scientific American, 5 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for longitudinal
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'longitudinal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near longitudinal
Cite this Entry
“Longitudinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/longitudinal. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
longitudinal
adjective
lon·gi·tu·di·nal
ˌlän-jə-ˈt(y)üd-nəl
-ᵊn-əl
1
: of or relating to length
2
: placed or running lengthwise
longitudinally
adverb
-ē
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
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