positional

IPA/pəˈzɪʃənəl/
IPA/pəˈzɪʃənəl/

positional — adjective

  • positionalpositive
  • more positionalcomparative
  • most positionalsuperlative

1. connected with where a person or thing is placed, or with the role that place gi

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

connected with where a person or thing is placed, or with the role that place gives them in a game, system, or arrangement

Example

Coach Talia praised Sora's positional play during the final ten minutes.

collocation: positional play

The drone collects positional data from each truck on the highway.

collocation: positional data

Common collocations
  • positional play
  • positional data
  • positional change
  • positional shift
  • positional error
  • positional advantage
Synonyms
  • spatial

    broader; includes general space and arrangement, not just exact place within a system

  • locational

    more neutral and factual; usually just states where something is

  • directional

    focuses on which way something faces or moves, not simply where it is

Grammar Patterns

positional + noun

be + positional

Usage Note

Most often used before nouns such as play, error, data, change, or advantage. In sports and technical writing, it usually points to effects caused by placement rather than by general quality.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Positional focuses on exact place within an arrangement and often on how that place affects function or advantage. Spatial is broader: it covers space in general, including size, shape, and relationships between objects. Locational is more neutral and factual, and often just tells you where something is on a map, screen, or list. Directional is about which way something faces or moves, not simply where it stands. In sports, positional play means players use space well by holding the right places. In technology, positional data gives exact coordinates, while locational data may only identify a general area or address.

spatial ↗locational ↗directional ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • gain a positional advantage
  • make a positional change
  • commit a positional error

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Positional was formed in English by adding the adjective suffix -al to position. Position came through French from Latin positio, from ponere, meaning 'to place' or 'to put'. The adjective later developed for things connected with place, arrangement, or role within a larger system.

First known use

1560

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1