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• central
  central

  adjective

  of or forming the center.
• Central
  Central

  noun

  a region in central Scotland. 1,016 sq. mi. (2,631 sq. km).

central

¹ American  

[sen-truhl] / ˈsɛn trəl /

adjective

1. of or forming the center.

   the central hut in the village.

2. in, at, or near the center.

   a central position.

3. constituting something from which other related things proceed or upon which they depend.

   a central office.

4. principal; chief; dominant.

   the play's central character.

   Synonyms:

   primary, leading, key, main, major

5. Anatomy, Zoology.

   1. of or relating to the central nervous system.

   2. of or relating to the centrum of a vertebra.

6. Phonetics. (of a speech sound) produced with the tongue articulating neither expressly forward nor in the back part of the mouth, as any of the sounds of lull.

7. Physics. (of a force) directed to or from a fixed point.

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noun

1. (formerly)

   1. a main telephone exchange.

   2. a telephone operator at such an exchange.

central ² American  

[sen-trahl, sen-trahl] / sɛnˈtrɑl, sɛnˈtrɑl /

noun

• centrals,
  plural
• centrales
  plural

1. (in Spanish America and the Philippines) a mill for crushing cane into raw sugar.

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Central ³ American  

[sen-truhl] / ˈsɛn trəl /

noun

1. a region in central Scotland. 1,016 sq. mi. (2,631 sq. km).

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central British  

/ ˈsɛntrəl /

adjective

1. in, at, of, from, containing, or forming the centre of something

   the central street in a city

   the central material of a golf ball

2. main, principal, or chief; most important

   the central cause of a problem

3. 1. of or relating to the central nervous system

   2. of or relating to the centrum of a vertebra

4. of, relating to, or denoting a vowel articulated with the tongue held in an intermediate position halfway between the positions for back and front vowels, as for the a of English soda

5. (of a force) directed from or towards a point

6. informal (immediately postpositive) used to describe a place where a specified thing, quality, etc is to be found in abundance

   nostalgia central

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• centrally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• centrales
  plural
• centrals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of central¹

First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin centrālis, “centrally located,” equivalent to centr(um) center + -ālis -al ¹

Origin of central²

First recorded in 1885–90; from Latin American Spanish, special use of Spanish central central ¹

Explanation

Anything central is in the middle of something — or essential to it. Central things are fundamental and important. Think about the center of a circle: it's right in the middle, equidistant from all sides. Similarly, anything central is in the middle of something. The central part of a city is downtown. You can also say something central is an important, crucial part of something. National security is a central responsibility of the President. Communication is a central goal of writing. Central things are essential and key.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

central Central centrales centrals

The weak payrolls number can provide a slightly more balanced sentiment around interest rates by dropping the urgency for another Fed hike while keeping inflation as the central bank’s primary concern, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

The EDP, which would apply to much of central Norfolk and parts of The Broads, would pool cash from housebuilders.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Hochul slammed how the initial investigation into the complainant's claims unfolded at Cornell, which is located in Ithaca in central New York state.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

Here lies the central conundrum of the Man City scandal, which is, like so much else about this story, a dirty secret that is no secret at all.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

He said that guilt—at least the kind some rich people felt toward the poor—allowed money to flow to the clinics and schools in the central plateau.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Thames Valley Police confirmed: "We are engaged in legal proceedings in relation to warrants previously obtained from the Central Criminal Court."

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Financial markets have trimmed expectations for interest-rate increases by the European Central Bank, analysts said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Central to both Steinbeck’s novel and Kazan’s update is the author’s interpretation of the Hebrew word timshel, which he translates as “thou mayest.”

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

For more than a decade, Paramount has been the smallest of the major media companies, owning CBS, Comedy Central, BET, Nickelodeon and the Melrose Avenue studio.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

The funny thing is, Cleopatra’s Needle isn’t even at Central Park yet.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman

Celia imagines the cane she cuts being ground in the centrales, and its thick sap collected in vats.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

As at present organized, the force is divided into twenty-six brigades, one for each arrondissement and six companies, known as the reserve, formerly the brigades centrales.

From Paris From the Earliest Period to the Present Day; Volume 2 by William Walton

At that time the Museum sent out to the Écoles centrales of the different departments of France named collections made up from the duplicates, and in this sort of drudgery Lamarck took an active part.

From Lamarck, the Founder of Evolution His Life and Work by A. S. (Alpheus Spring) Packard

The two sulci centrales sive fissuræ Rolandi run straight to the border of the hemisphere, less deeply impressed than is normally the case, without forming an angle with each other.

From The Mind of the Child, Part II The Development of the Intellect, International Education Series Edited By William T. Harris, Volume IX. by William T. Preyer

Others, known as "colonos," are planters only, the crop being sold to the mills commonly called "centrales."

From Cuba, Old and New by Albert G. (Albert Gardner) Robinson

Heating to such houses is supplied by large plants known as TETs - an acronym that stands for "heat and electricity centrals" in Ukrainian as they generate electricity as well as heat.

From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026

About the centrals was a new and unexpected enthusiasm.

From Time Magazine Archive

At the base of the pyramid is a membership of 2,889,550 represented by 29,574 local unions, 804 city centrals, 49 State branches, 4 departments.

From Time Magazine Archive

Its 15 "centrals" are pals with their customers, keep them in touch with local gossip.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Okay, two of them can go back in. Your centrals, or as you know them, your two front teeth,” Dr. Maris declared, looking pleased.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• basic
• essential
• fundamental
• important
• key
• paramount
• pivotal
• significant