fetal

adjective

fe·​tal ˈfē-tᵊl How to pronounce fetal (audio)
: of, relating to, or being a fetus

Examples of fetal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The recent criminalization bills also include fetal personhood rhetoric—a legal doctrine at the forefront of the fight over reproductive rights that aims to give an embryo and fetus the legal rights of people. Chantelle Lee, TIME, 18 Mar. 2025 The academic hospital has a renowned pediatric division and specializes in rare diseases, organ transplantation, end-stage organ failure, cancer, genetics, fetal surgery and robotic surgery. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025 They have been discovered in the placentas of unborn babies, raising urgent concerns about fetal exposure. Bill Frist, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025 To study infections during pregnancy loss, ProPublica identified all hospitalizations that included miscarriages, terminations and births from the beginning of the second trimester up to 22 weeks’ gestation, before fetal viability. Lizzie Presser, ProPublica, 20 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fetal

Word History

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fetal was in 1736

Cite this Entry

“Fetal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetal. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

fetal

adjective
fe·​tal ˈfēt-ᵊl How to pronounce fetal (audio)
: of, relating to, or being a fetus

Medical Definition

fetal

adjective
fe·​tal
variants or chiefly British foetal
: of, relating to, or being a fetus

More from Merriam-Webster on fetal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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