Meaning & use
neonatal
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounmedicaltechnical
relating to babies during the first few weeks after birth
Grammar: Used before a noun: neonatal care, neonatal unit. It is not used after a verb.
Patterns
- neonatal care
- neonatal unit
- neonatal period
The hospital opened a new neonatal unit for premature babies.
She works as a neonatal nurse, caring for newborns in their first month.
Neonatal care has improved greatly in recent decades.
Common combinations
- neonatal care
- The clinic provides excellent neonatal care for premature infants.
- neonatal unit
- The baby was moved to the neonatal unit for close monitoring.
- neonatal mortality
- The country has reduced neonatal mortality through better prenatal care.
- neonatal period
- Jaundice is common during the neonatal period.
Synonyms and how they differ
- newborn
- More common in everyday English and can be a noun or adjective; 'neonatal' is the technical term used in medicine.
Word family
- neonate noun
- A newborn baby, especially in medical contexts.
- neonatology noun
- The branch of medicine that deals with newborn babies.
- neonatologist noun
- A doctor who specializes in the care of newborn babies.
Practice
The hospital has a special ______ unit for premature babies.
Choose one answer.
'Neonatal' refers to the first weeks after birth, which fits a unit for premature babies. 'Prenatal' means before birth, and 'postnatal' means after birth (often referring to the mother), so they don't fit the context of a unit for newborns.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “neonatal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.