WordValeambulatory
a covered walkway, especially around a cloister
In more detail
1. (adjective) able to walk; not bedridden or confined to bed
2. (adjective) relating to or designed for walking
3. (noun) a passage or walkway, especially in a church or building
Examples
- 1. After surgery, the patient became ambulatory and could move around the hospital.
- 2. The ambulatory clinic allows patients to receive treatment without staying overnight.
- 3. The ambulatory of the cathedral has beautiful stained glass windows along its walls.
How to use ambulatory
As an adjective referring to patients or medical care, ambulatory is primarily used in medical and healthcare contexts to describe patients who can walk and do not require bed confinement, or services provided without hospitalization. It is formal and technical in tone. When referring to a passage or walkway in architecture, it is more specialized and less commonly encountered in everyday usage.
Common phrases
- ambulatory care
- ambulatory patient
- ambulatory surgery
- ambulatory clinic
- remain ambulatory
Synonyms
mobile · walking · peripatetic · self-propelled
Opposites
bedridden · immobile · confined
Word family
ambulate (verb) · ambulation (noun) · perambulate (verb)
A common mistake
Learners sometimes overuse ambulatory in general contexts when mobile or walking would be more natural; ambulatory is best reserved for medical or formal architectural contexts.
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