latitude

1 of 2

noun

lat·​i·​tude ˈla-tə-ˌtüd How to pronounce latitude (audio)
-ˌtyüd
Synonyms of latitude
1
: angular distance from some specified circle or plane of reference: such as
a
: angular distance north or south from the earth's equator measured through 90 degrees
an island located at 40 degrees north latitude
b
: a region or locality as marked by its latitude
c
: angular distance of a celestial body from the ecliptic
2
: freedom of action or choice
students are allowed considerable latitude in choosing courses
3
a
: scope, range
b
: the range of exposures within which a film or plate will produce a negative or positive of satisfactory quality
4
archaic : extent or distance from side to side : width
latitudinal
ˌla-tə-ˈtü-də-nəl How to pronounce latitude (audio)
-ˈtyü-;
-ˈtüd-nəl, 
-ˈtyüd-
adjective
latitudinally adverb

Illustration of latitude

Illustration of latitude
  • hemisphere marked with parallels of latitude

latitudinal

2 of 2

adjective

lat·​i·​tu·​di·​nal
-‧¦tyü-
: of or relating to latitude and especially to geographical latitude : in the direction of latitude
latitudinally
-d(ᵊ)nəlē, 
-li
adverb

Synonyms of latitude

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of latitude in a Sentence

Noun a map of the world showing lines of latitude and longitude located at a latitude of 40 degrees north Madrid and New York City are on nearly the same latitude. islands located at different latitudes We weren't given much latitude in deciding how to do the job. The judge has wide latitude to reject evidence for the trial.
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.
Noun
And Silver, according to the NBA’s constitution and bylaws, has significant latitude to impose discipline. — David Aldridge, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 While city leaders have broad latitude over the management of their meetings and can eject attendees for disruptions, courts typically reject when the government accepts some viewpoints but rejects others. — Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Even worse, with respect to the sun, Venus' path makes a very shallow angle to the horizon for those living near latitude 40 degrees north. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Engineers at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and AeroVironment are working on a larger solar panel for improved power production at high-latitude locations, Pomerantz said. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for latitude

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Latin latitudin-, latitudo, from latus wide; akin to Old Church Slavic postĭlati to spread

Adjective

Latin latitudin-, latitudo latitude + English -al

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Time Traveler
The first known use of latitude was in the 14th century

Rhymes for latitude

See All Rhymes for latitude

Browse Nearby Words

latite
latitude
latitude effect
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Latitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/latitude. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

latitude

noun
lat·​i·​tude ˈlat-ə-ˌt(y)üd How to pronounce latitude (audio)
1
a
: distance north or south from the equator measured in degrees
b
: a region or locality as marked by its latitude
2
: freedom from narrow restrictions
were allowed latitude in picking report topics
latitudinal
ˌlat-ə-ˈt(y)üd-nəl How to pronounce latitude (audio)
-ᵊn-əl
adjective
latitudinally
-ē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on latitude

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about latitude

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All