variants
or less commonly spacial
1
: relating to, occupying, or having the character of space
2
: of, relating to, or involved in the perception of relationships (as of objects) in space
tests of spatial ability
spatial memory
Examples of spatial in a Sentence
When patients have this kind of problem, they can't feel the relationship between their body and their feet, so they must rely on visual cues to keep themselves upright. Without these cues, they lose their spatial orientation and fall.
—
John Pettinato, Discover, October 2004
Williams syndrome, which was first described in 1961, results when a group of genes on one copy of chromosome 7 is deleted during embryonic development. Most people with Williams resemble each other more than they do their families, with wide-set hazel eyes, upturned noses, and wide mouths. They also share a peculiar set of mental impairments. Most stumble over the simplest spatial tasks, such as putting together a puzzle, and many not read or write beyond the level of a first grader.
—U.S. News & World Report, 15 June 1998
Several new ground-based and orbiting astronomical facilities that could provide high spatial and spectral resolution appear technologically ready for development during the next several decades.
—Robert D. Gehrz et al., Science, 25 May 1984
the spatial dimensions of a room
John Pettinato, Discover, October 2004
Williams syndrome, which was first described in 1961, results when a group of genes on one copy of chromosome 7 is deleted during embryonic development. Most people with Williams resemble each other more than they do their families, with wide-set hazel eyes, upturned noses, and wide mouths. They also share a peculiar set of mental impairments. Most stumble over the simplest spatial tasks, such as putting together a puzzle, and many not read or write beyond the level of a first grader.
—U.S. News & World Report, 15 June 1998
Several new ground-based and orbiting astronomical facilities that could provide high spatial and spectral resolution appear technologically ready for development during the next several decades.
—Robert D. Gehrz et al., Science, 25 May 1984
the spatial dimensions of a room
Recent Examples on the Web
His talent allows emotional separation to dissolve into spatial distance — the reality of loss and loneliness in one beautiful, sweet sequence.
—Armond White, National Review, 25 Apr. 2025
The 1980s brought an interest in the Necker cube, an optical illusion in which a two-dimensional drawing of a cube is perceived as having three dimensions and two possible spatial orientations.
—News Desk, Artforum, 24 Apr. 2025
On the wide stage of the Vivian Beaumont, two of the Viewpoints, spatial relationship and shape, find particularly striking expression: As Floyd Collins begins, Landau arranges her ensemble in silhouette across an empty expanse of dirt floor, a soaring blank canvas of firmament behind them.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025
That second explanation is favored by new data from the JWST which takes full advantage of the $10 billion space telescope's unprecedented sensitivity and spatial resolution.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spatial
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Armond White, National Review, 25 Apr. 2025
The 1980s brought an interest in the Necker cube, an optical illusion in which a two-dimensional drawing of a cube is perceived as having three dimensions and two possible spatial orientations.
—News Desk, Artforum, 24 Apr. 2025
On the wide stage of the Vivian Beaumont, two of the Viewpoints, spatial relationship and shape, find particularly striking expression: As Floyd Collins begins, Landau arranges her ensemble in silhouette across an empty expanse of dirt floor, a soaring blank canvas of firmament behind them.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025
That second explanation is favored by new data from the JWST which takes full advantage of the $10 billion space telescope's unprecedented sensitivity and spatial resolution.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spatial
Cite this Entry
“Spatial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spatial. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
spatial
adjective
spa·tial
ˈspā-shəl 
1
: relating to, occupying, or having the character of space
affected with spatial disorientation
2
: of or relating to facility in perceiving relations (as of objects) in space
tests of spatial ability
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