Meaning & use
antenatal
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounBritish
Connected with the time during pregnancy before a baby is born, especially the health care a pregnant woman receives.
Grammar: Almost always comes before a noun: an antenatal class. American English usually prefers prenatal.
Patterns
- antenatal care
- antenatal class
- antenatal clinic
She went to an antenatal class every Thursday evening.
Regular antenatal care helps doctors spot problems early.
The hospital runs a free antenatal clinic for local women.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Happening to a baby while it is still in the womb.
Grammar: Used in medical writing for conditions or tests: antenatal screening.
Patterns
- antenatal screening
- antenatal diagnosis
Antenatal screening can detect some conditions before birth.
The doctor explained the results of the antenatal scan.
Antenatal diagnosis allowed the family to plan for the baby's needs.
Common combinations
- antenatal care
- Antenatal care begins as soon as a pregnancy is confirmed.
- an antenatal class
- They learned breathing techniques in an antenatal class.
- an antenatal appointment
- She had an antenatal appointment with the midwife on Monday.
- antenatal screening
- Antenatal screening is optional but widely recommended.
- antenatal clinic
- Her sister works at the antenatal clinic downtown.
Synonyms and how they differ
- prenatal
- Prenatal means the same thing but is the usual word in American English, while antenatal is typical in Britain.
- pre-birth
- Pre-birth is a plain, uncommon way of describing the period before delivery and is not used in medicine.
- gestational
- Gestational refers to the length or period of pregnancy itself, while antenatal refers to care or events before birth.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: antenatal or antenuptial? antenatal or postnatal?
antenatal vs antenuptial
Antenuptial means before a wedding, not before birth, though both words begin with ante.
antenatal vs postnatal
Postnatal means after birth, the opposite of antenatal, so antenatal classes happen before the baby arrives and postnatal checks happen afterward.
Practice
In Britain, a woman expecting a baby attends regular ______ checkups with her midwife.
Choose one answer.
Antenatal means before birth, so it fits checkups during pregnancy. Postnatal means after birth, which would be the wrong period.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “antenatal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.