MEANING
1. Following the same subjects or a process through repeated observations over time.
2. Running along the length of something.
Use it for
change within people; persistence of effects; life-course researchIndicate that the evidence tracks change rather than providing one snapshot.
Words that belong together
- longitudinal study
- longitudinal data
- longitudinal analysis
On the page
The longitudinal study followed the same households after the factory closed.
Longitudinal data revealed that several apparently permanent moves were temporary.
A longitudinal crack ran along the wooden beam.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- longitudinal
Usage notes
Primary category: academic. In research, longitudinal does not simply mean lengthy. Repeated observations allow temporal analysis but do not automatically establish causality. Normally non-gradable in this sense; comparison requires a specific contextual scale. Derived family (not inflections): longitudinally.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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