Surgery How Anterior Is Used to Describe Anatomy By Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FN Updated on July 31, 2023 Medically reviewed by Chris Vincent, MD Fact checked by Sarah Scott Print Anterior refers to the front of the human body when used to describe anatomy. The opposite of anterior is posterior, meaning the back of the human body. The term anterior is typically used in combination with other words that describe the location of a body part. For example, the belly button may be described as anterior, mid-abdominal, meaning it is located on the front of the body in the middle of the abdomen. Ariel Skelley / Getty Images Is It Anterior or Posterior? Anterior can be determined by imagining the body sliced in half, from left to right. Everything on the front slice is anterior, the tissue in the back slice is posterior. Posterior is the opposite of anterior and refers to the back of the body. If the body part is not pictured in Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian man diagram, it is likely a posterior body part. The back of the hand and the sole of the foot are not pictured in the diagram, so they are posterior when described. Anterior and posterior are also used to describe the anatomical positioning in relation to the rest of the body. For example. the face is considered the most anterior region of the head. 1 Source Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. National Library of Medicine. Anatomy: Head and Neck, Face. By Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FN Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FNP-C, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. She has experience in primary care and hospital medicine. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit