latitude
gb/lˈætətˌud/ us/lˈætətˌud/
B1
English
~ 7700
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
state
1
freedom or flexibility in decisions
The freedom to choose how to act or decide, without being closely controlled.
Usage pattern:
to give [someone] (more) latitude (to do [something])
Common mistake:
Learners often think 'latitude' only refers to geography and may not recognize this abstract meaning of 'freedom' or 'flexibility'. They may also incorrectly say *'give latitude to' without an object, instead of 'give someone latitude'.
Synonyms
freedom (More general; does not always imply there are still some limits or rules.)
|
leeway (Very close in meaning; slightly more informal and often about time or rules.)
|
discretion (Focuses on the power to decide, often in professional or legal contexts.)
|
flexibility (Emphasizes being able to change or choose, not the power or authority itself.)
Antonyms
restriction (Stresses the limits or rules that reduce freedom to act.)
|
strict control (Highlights very close supervision with little or no freedom.)
Collocations
give someone latitude
|a lot of latitude
|considerable latitude
|greater latitude
|broad latitude
|artistic latitude
Themes
work
|law
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Teachers are given considerable latitude in how they design their own courses.
- The new policy gives managers more latitude to hire staff as they see fit.
- Within these guidelines, you have plenty of latitude to be creative.
- Editors often allow writers some latitude with style and tone.
- The judge used her latitude to impose a lighter sentence.
Learner examples
- My boss gives me a lot of latitude in how I do my work.
- Parents should give teenagers some latitude to make their own choices.
- The company rules are clear, but there is still some latitude.
- The director had great latitude to change the script.
- The teacher has little latitude when it comes to exam dates.
Noun
technical
B1
relation
2
distance north or south of equator
A number that shows how far a place is north or south of the equator, measured in degrees.
Usage pattern:
the latitude of [a place] is [number] degrees [north/south]
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse 'latitude' with 'longitude'. Remember: latitude measures north–south position from the equator; longitude measures east–west position from the prime meridian. Another mistake is saying *'in 50 latitude'* instead of 'at a latitude of 50 degrees'.
Synonyms
geographic coordinate (A broader technical term; latitude is one type of geographic coordinate.)
Antonyms
longitude (The other main geographic coordinate, measuring east–west instead of north–south.)
Collocations
latitude and longitude
|degrees of latitude
|north latitude
|south latitude
|high latitude
|low latitude
Themes
science
|geography
|education
|travel
Examples
- London lies at a latitude of about 51 degrees north.
- As you move toward higher latitudes, the climate generally becomes cooler.
- This city and New York are at almost the same latitude.
- The software lets you enter the latitude and longitude of your location.
- Bird species change noticeably with latitude and altitude.
Learner examples
- The latitude of Paris is about 49 degrees north.
- Places near the equator have a low latitude.
- On a map, latitude lines run east and west.
- We entered the latitude and longitude into the GPS.
- Cities at the same latitude can have similar weather.
Noun
B2
entity
3
regions at a particular latitude
Areas of the world that are at a certain distance from the equator, which often have similar weather.
Usage pattern:
in [high/northern/tropical/etc.] latitudes
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sense with the exact numeric coordinate. When people say 'in northern latitudes' or 'at these latitudes', they usually mean broad regions with a certain climate, not a specific degree number.
Synonyms
climate zones (Focuses more on typical weather than on exact geographic position.)
Antonyms
other latitudes (Used contrastively, for example 'unlike in lower latitudes', to refer to regions at different distances from the equator.)
Collocations
northern latitudes
|southern latitudes
|higher latitudes
|tropical latitudes
|temperate latitudes
|these latitudes
Themes
science
|climate
|environment
|nature
Examples
- Winters are long at these northern latitudes.
- Coffee is typically grown in tropical latitudes around the equator.
- At higher latitudes, the days are very short in winter.
- Very few trees grow at such extreme latitudes.
- This species cannot survive in colder latitudes.
Learner examples
- Summer nights are very short at high latitudes.
- Many fruits grow well in warm latitudes.
- In these latitudes, it rains a lot in winter.
- Bears live in colder northern latitudes.
- Farmers in low latitudes can grow crops all year.
Noun
technical
C1
relation
4
celestial latitude in astronomy
In astronomy, a number that shows how far a star or planet is north or south of the path of the Sun in the sky.
Usage pattern:
a celestial object with a latitude of [number] degrees
Synonyms
celestial coordinate (A broader term; celestial latitude is one type of celestial coordinate.)
Antonyms
celestial longitude (The corresponding coordinate that measures position along the reference circle rather than north–south of it.)
Collocations
celestial latitude
|ecliptic latitude
|galactic latitude
|latitude and longitude of a star
Themes
science
|astronomy
|space
Examples
- The star has a celestial latitude of just over five degrees.
- Objects with high galactic latitude are found well above the Milky Way's disk.
- The catalog lists each comet's longitude and latitude at the time of observation.
Learner examples
- In astronomy, we can write the latitude of a star in degrees.
- Galactic latitude tells us how far a star is from the plane of our galaxy.
- The scientist calculated the comet's latitude and longitude in the sky.
Grammar
Dictionary form
latitude
IPA
GB/lˈætətˌud/
US/lˈætətˌud/
Syllables & stress
lat - it - ude (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (lat)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: latitude
- Plural: latitude, latitudes
Word family
Forms
latitudes
noun
Core family
latitudinal
adjective
Related words
longitude
noun B2
longitudinal
adjective C1
Advanced or less common
latitudinally
adverb
Expressions
at this latitude
1/ˈæt ðˈɪs lˈætətˌud/
fixed phrase
in this geographical latitude zone
In the part of the world that is this far north or south of the equator.
Examples
- Snow is unusual at this latitude.
- The days are very short at this latitude in winter.
- At this latitude, palm trees cannot survive outdoors.
give someone latitude
1/ɡˈɪv sˈʌmwˌʌn lˈætətˌud/
fixed phrase
allow someone freedom or flexibility
To allow a person to decide or act in their own way, without being closely controlled.
Examples
- The company gives its designers a lot of latitude to try new ideas.
- Parents should give their children some latitude to solve problems on their own.
- Our teacher gives us latitude in choosing our research topics.
high latitudes
1/hˈaɪ lˈætətˌudz/
fixed phrase
regions far from the equator
Parts of the world that are far north or far south from the equator, often cold and near the poles.
Examples
- Sea ice is melting faster in the high latitudes.
- Many people in high latitudes experience very long winter nights.
- Forests at high latitudes are sensitive to climate change.