cerebral
Americanadjective
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Anatomy, Zoology. of or relating to the cerebrum or the brain.
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betraying or characterized by the use of the intellect rather than intuition or instinct.
His is a cerebral music that leaves many people cold.
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Phonetics. retroflex.
noun
adjective
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of or relating to the cerebrum or to the entire brain
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involving intelligence rather than emotions or instinct
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phonetics another word for cacuminal
noun
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The term is also used figuratively to describe things that appeal to the intellect.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cerebral
From the New Latin word cerebrālis, dating back to 1795–1805. See cerebrum, -al 1
Explanation
If you are a cerebral person, no one would ever call you a drama queen. You make decisions using your intelligence and cold, hard facts, instead of your emotions. The word cerebral gets its meaning from cerebrum, which is Latin for "brain." Cerebral people use their brains instead of their hearts. The cerebrum is a particular section of the brain, and anything related to that part is also cerebral, like in medicine. A cerebral hemorrhage, for example, means a hemorrhage has occurred in the brain — a phrase you'd never want to hear coming from a doctor.
Vocabulary lists containing cerebral
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "B" & "C"
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Flowers for Algernon
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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.
Because of his cerebral palsy, everyday tasks already require more energy.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
They also showed greater volumes of white matter hyperintensities, which are signs of cerebral small blood vessel disease and have been linked to cognitive decline and dementia.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
That all changed in 2023 after Freese was traded to NYCFC, where the club came to learn it had acquired an unusually cerebral player, whose mind never stops racing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
The Doctor will be sillier or more serious, calmer or crazier, more physical or more cerebral, and never again necessarily a white dude.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
To those who are genuinely concerned, I push a button to say, “I have spastic bilateral quadriplegia, also known as cerebral palsy. It limits my body, but not my mind.”
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
