Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

neuroscience

American  
[noor-oh-sahy-uhns, nyoor-] / ˌnʊər oʊˈsaɪ əns, ˌnjʊər- /

noun

neurosciences plural
  1. the field of study encompassing the various scientific disciplines dealing with the structure, development, function, chemistry, pharmacology, and pathology of the nervous system.


neuroscience British  
/ ˈnjʊərəʊˌsaɪəns /

noun

  1. the study of the anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology of the nervous system

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of neuroscience

First recorded in 1960–65; neuro- + science

Explanation

Neuroscience is the study of the brain and the nervous system. If you're interested in the way human brains work, you might want to study neuroscience. The scientific field of neuroscience started out as a branch of biology, although people have been fascinated with the brain at least since ancient Egyptians studied the effects of drilling small holes in the skull to treat mental disorders. Today neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field, involving chemistry, linguistics, and genetics, among many other disciplines. Neuroscience has roots in the Greek neuro, "nerve," and Latin scientia, "knowledge."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing neuroscience

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.

Neuroscience and architecture expert Meredith Banasiak, who researches the link between buildings and human wellbeing, says hallways and doorways often spark this fear.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

The paper, which was published April 27 in Nature Neuroscience, answers a puzzling question about the mechanism controlling this long-observed cerebral movement.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, point to a potential treatment strategy that focuses on boosting the brain's own support system to slow cognitive decline in neurodegenerative disease.

From Science Daily • May 2, 2026

Feng and Michael Halassa, an associate professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Tufts University, are the senior authors of the study, which appears in Nature Neuroscience.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

Neuroscience, Mr. Pollan claims, has “yet to identify the biological structures necessary to generate consciousness,” and humans should not assume “a monopoly on sentience.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "neuroscience" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com