posterior
Americanadjective
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situated behind or at the rear of; hinder (anterior ).
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coming after in order, as in a series.
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coming after in time; later; subsequent (sometimes followed byto ).
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Anatomy, Zoology.
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(in quadrupeds) pertaining to or toward the rear or caudal end of the body.
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(in humans and other primates) pertaining to or toward the back plane of the body, equivalent to the dorsal surface of quadrupeds.
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Botany. toward the back and near the main axis, as the upper lip of a flower.
noun
adjective
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situated at the back of or behind something
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coming after or following another in a series
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coming after in time
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zoology (of animals) of or near the hind end
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botany (of a flower) situated nearest to the main stem
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anatomy dorsal or towards the spine
noun
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the buttocks; rump
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statistics a posterior probability
Related Words
See back 1.
Other Word Forms
- posteriorly adverb
Etymology
Origin of posterior
1525–35; < Latin, comparative of posterus coming after, derivative of post after
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To offset that, he pays extra attention to strengthening the posterior, or back, chain of their bodies.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 1, 2026
Throughout these tasks, researchers recorded the activity of neurons in ACA, ORB, VISp and MOp, with particular attention to the signals traveling along the axons linking prefrontal and posterior areas.
From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2025
As a parent, the first time I saw one of my sons talk out of their posterior on a subject they knew nothing about, I laughed.
From Salon • Oct. 24, 2025
The US Ski & Snowboard Team said Shiffrin would continue to be assessed but her anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments "seem intact".
From BBC • Jan. 26, 2024
I should record them for posterity—a word I only recently learned means the people who come after you in history, not your rear end, which is your posterior.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
