posterior

1 of 2

adjective

pos·​te·​ri·​or pō-ˈstir-ē-ər How to pronounce posterior (audio)
pä-
1
: later in time : subsequent
2
: situated behind: such as
a
: caudal
b
of the human body or its parts : dorsal
3
of a plant part : adaxial, superior
posteriorly adverb

posterior

2 of 2

noun

pos·​te·​ri·​or pä-ˈstir-ē-ər How to pronounce posterior (audio)
pō-
: the hinder parts of the body
specifically : buttocks

Did you know?

Posterior comes from the Latin word posterus, meaning "coming after". Posterior is often used as a technical term in biology and medicine to refer to the back side of things, and is the opposite of anterior, which refers to the front side. For example, as more people took up running as a sport, doctors began to see an increase in stress fractures along the posterior as well as the anterior surface of the lower leg bones. In some technical fields, posterior may mean "later". When used as a noun, posterior simply means "buttocks".

Examples of posterior in a Sentence

Adjective the posterior part of the brain the chapel's posterior location in the church serves to make it a quiet retreat Noun The man squeezed his large posterior into the chair. the baseball players were always slapping one another on the posterior
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
In the clip, the Rare Beauty founder shakes her hips, squats to the floor and shows off her posterior to the camera. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019 Fascinatingly, the areas of the brain that were particularly active in pet owners—such as the precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex—are involved in self-reflection and processing social information. Mark Travers, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024
Noun
The two locked arms around backs, with Jenner's hand dropping south and staying perched on Chalamet's famed posterior for longer than any claims of accidental contact. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2024 Those pert patriotic posteriors are all-natural, made in the U.S.A., baby. EW.com, 26 Oct. 2023 See all Example Sentences for posterior 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'posterior.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin, comparative of posterus coming after, from post after — more at post-

First Known Use

Adjective

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1605, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of posterior was in 1534

Dictionary Entries Near posterior

Cite this Entry

“Posterior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/posterior. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

posterior

1 of 2 adjective
pos·​te·​ri·​or pō-ˈstir-ē-ər How to pronounce posterior (audio)
pä-
1
: later in time : subsequent
2
: located behind or toward the back
posteriorly adverb

posterior

2 of 2 noun
pos·​te·​ri·​or pä-ˈstir-ē-ər How to pronounce posterior (audio)
pō-
: the hind end of the body
especially : buttock sense 2a

Medical Definition

posterior

1 of 2 adjective
pos·​te·​ri·​or pō-ˈstir-ē-ər, pä- How to pronounce posterior (audio)
: situated behind: as
a
: situated at or toward the hind part of the body : caudal
b
: dorsal
used of human anatomy in which the upright posture makes dorsal and caudal identical

posterior

2 of 2 noun
pos·​te·​ri·​or pä-ˈstir-ē-ər, pō- How to pronounce posterior (audio)
: a posterior thing or part: as
a
: the rear end of a quadruped
b

More from Merriam-Webster on posterior

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