Meanings
comparative more posterior · superlative most posterior · alternative posteriour
- Nearer the rear or hind end; nearer the caudal end of the body in quadrupeds or the dorsal end in bipeds.
plural posteriors · alternative posteriour
- euphemistichumoroussometimesThe posterior portions of the human body; especially, the buttocks.
Stephen reigned from 1135-1154, that nasty period of our history dubbed 'The Anarchy', when forces loyal to Stephen contested the throne with those of Henry I's daughter Matilda, who by rights should have been queen. Stephen, her cousin, plonked his own posterior on the throne.
2023 December 27, Stephen Roberts, “Bradshaw's Britain: the way to Weymouth”, in RAIL, number 999, page 52Synonyms: 'tocks, arse, arse cheeks, ass, ass cheeks, back, backside, batty
- mathematicsThe probability that a hypothesis is true (calculated by Bayes' theorem).
Synonyms: posterior probability · Antonyms: prior, prior probability
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveRelating to or denoting presentation of a fetus in which the rear or caudal end is nearest the cervix and emerges first at birth.
nounThe posterior portions of the human body; especially, the buttocks.
nounThe probability that a hypothesis is true (calculated by Bayes' theorem).
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivelocated at or near or behind a part or near the end of a structure
adjectivecoming at a subsequent time or stage
nounthe fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*pós
- Proto-Indo-European*pósti
- Proto-Italic*posti
- Proto-Italic*posteros
- Latinposterus
- Latinposterior
- Englishposterior
Borrowed from Latin posterior (“that comes or follows after; later, latter”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic خَلْفِيّ
- خَلْفِيّ (ḵalfiyy)located towards the rear
Bulgarian по-къ́сен, сле́дващ
- по-къ́сен (po-kắsen)following in order or time
- сле́дващ (slédvašt)following in order or time
- за́ден (záden)located towards the rear
- задник (zadnik)buttocks
Catalan posterior, posterior
- posteriorfollowing in order or time
- posteriorlocated towards the rear
Chinese Mandarin 後面的 /后面的, 尾部的
- 後面的 /后面的 (hòumiàn de)located towards the rear
- 尾部的 (wěibù de)located towards the rear
Czech zadní, pozadí
- zadnílocated towards the rear
- pozadíbuttocks
Dutch later, posterieur
- laterfollowing in order or time
- posterieurfollowing in order or time
- achteraangelegenlocated towards the rear
- achterkantlocated towards the rear
- rugzijdelocated towards the rear
- Achterstebuttocks
- achterwerkbuttocks
Esperanto posta, postaĵo
- postafollowing in order or time
- postaĵobuttocks
Finnish jäljempi, jälkikäteinen
- jäljempifollowing in order or time
- jälkikäteinenfollowing in order or time
- perä-located towards the rear
- perässä olevalocated towards the rear
- perällä olevalocated towards the rear
- perempilocated towards the rear
- peräpääbuttocks
French postérieur, postérieur
- postérieurfollowing in order or time
- postérieurlocated towards the rear
- derrièrebuttocks
German später, hinterer
- späterfollowing in order or time
- hintererlocated towards the rear
- Rück-located towards the rear
- Hinternbuttocks
Greek μεταγενέστερος, ύστερος
- μεταγενέστερος (metagenésteros)following in order or time
- ύστερος (ýsteros)following in order or time
- οπίσθιος (opísthios)located towards the rear
- πισινός (pisinós)buttocks
Hindi पीछे, नितंब
- पीछे (pīche)located towards the rear
- नितंब (nitamb)buttocks
Hungarian far
- farbuttocks
Italian posteriore, posteriore
- posteriorefollowing in order or time
- posteriorelocated towards the rear
Japanese 後の, 劣後する
- 後の (ato no)following in order or time
- 劣後する (retsugo suru)following in order or time
- 後れる (okureru)following in order or time
- 後の (ushiro no)located towards the rear
- 後方の (kōhō no)located towards the rear
Korean 후부의, 뒤의
- 후부의 (hubuui)located towards the rear
- 뒤의 (dwiui)located towards the rear
Māori tou, miki
- toubuttocks
- mikibuttocks
- kumubuttocks
- tāreperepebuttocks
- papaihorebuttocks
- remubuttocks
Polish tylny, zadni
- tylnylocated towards the rear
- zadnilocated towards the rear
Portuguese posterior, posterior
- posteriorfollowing in order or time
- posteriorlocated towards the rear
Romanian posterior, ulterior
- posteriorfollowing in order or time
- ulteriorfollowing in order or time
- posteriorlocated towards the rear
- fundbuttocks
Russian после́дующий, поздне́йший
- после́дующий (poslédujuščij)following in order or time
- поздне́йший (pozdnéjšij)following in order or time
- за́дний (zádnij)located towards the rear
- ты́льный (týlʹnyj)located towards the rear
- хвостово́й (xvostovój)located towards the rear
Slovak zadný
- zadnýlocated towards the rear
Spanish posterior, trasero
- posteriorfollowing in order or time
- traserolocated towards the rear
- posteriorlocated towards the rear
- traserobuttocks
Tagalog hulihan
- hulihanlocated towards the rear
Ukrainian за́дній, ти́льний
- за́дній (zádnij)located towards the rear
- ти́льний (týlʹnyj)located towards the rear
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with posterior
Anagrams
Cite this entry
posterior. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/posterior
“posterior.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/posterior. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “posterior,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/posterior.
Source: posterior on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.