Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump to:
  • centric
    centric
    adjective
    pertaining to or situated at the center; central.
  • -centric
    -centric
    a combining form with the meanings “having a center or centers” of the specified number or kind (polycentric ); “centered upon, focused around” that named by the first element (ethnocentric; heliocentric ).
Synonyms

centric

1 American  
[sen-trik] / ˈsɛn trɪk /
Also centrical

adjective

  1. pertaining to or situated at the center; central.

  2. Anatomy, Physiology. pertaining to or originating at a nerve center.

-centric 2 American  

  1. a combining form with the meanings “having a center or centers” of the specified number or kind (polycentric ); “centered upon, focused around” that named by the first element (ethnocentric; heliocentric ).

centric 1 British  
/ sɛnˈtrɪsɪtɪ, ˈsɛntrɪk /

adjective

  1. being central or having a centre

  2. relating to or originating at a nerve centre

  3. botany

    1. Also: concentric.  (of vascular bundles) having one type of tissue completely surrounding the other

    2. (of leaves, such as those of the onion) cylindrical

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
-centric 2 British  

suffix

  1. having a centre as specified

    heliocentric
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does -centric mean? The combining form -centric is used like a suffix meaning variously “having a center or centers” of the specified number or kind or "centered upon, focused around." It is often used in a variety of technical and everyday terms. The form -centric comes from a combination of two combining forms. The first is centr-, meaning "center," from Latin centrum. The second form is the suffix -ic, from Latin -icus, which has a variety of meanings, including "having some characteristics of."

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of centric1

1580–90; < Greek kentrikós of, pertaining to a cardinal point, equivalent to kéntr ( on ) ( see center) + -ikos -ic

Origin of -centric2

see origin at centr-, -ic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And not just because there is so much of it, but because it seems so out of place, this Brooklyn Dodgers and -centric collection being housed across the country from its ancestral home.

From New York Times • Aug. 7, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.