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 longitudinal model is more complicated than the traditional block model, with one coordinator for every 12 students, Gottenborg said.
—
Meg Wingerter, The Denver Post, 29 July 2024
John Gottman’s own longitudinal study found that couples with children often experience a staggering 67% drop in marital satisfaction after having children.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
This lack of longitudinal data gives health practitioners pause about teens’ future health.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 25 Oct. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for longitudinal 
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Meg Wingerter, The Denver Post, 29 July 2024
John Gottman’s own longitudinal study found that couples with children often experience a staggering 67% drop in marital satisfaction after having children.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
This lack of longitudinal data gives health practitioners pause about teens’ future health.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 25 Oct. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for longitudinal
Dictionary Entries Near longitudinal
Cite this Entry
“Longitudinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/longitudinal. Accessed 29 Nov. 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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