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Definition of "longitudinal" []

  • Of or relating to longitude or length: a longitudinal reckoning by the navigator; made longitudinal measurements of the hull. (adjective)
  • Concerned with the development of persons or groups over time: a longitudinal study of twins. (adjective)
  • Placed or running lengthwise: longitudinal stripes. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "longitudinal" in a sentence
  • ""In any long-term longitudinal survey of budgetary costs, I think it would be imprudent and misleading not to adjust for the effects of inflation," says Stephen I. Schwartz, editor of the journal Nonproliferation Review and director of a 1998 study by the left-leaning Brookings Institution on long-range nuclear-weapons spending in the U.S."
  • "However, long-term longitudinal studies seem to reveal…"
  • "Long-term longitudinal studies would be needed to assess the validity of either perspective."