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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

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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

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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

In the next, central bankers fret about its power to break the cybersecurity of most of the banking system.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Signatories said Birmingham had been central to the show's identity since it began and warned that separating cast and production teams could affect the way the programme is made.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Investors took that to mean that the central bank likely won’t raise rates at its Oct. 27-28 meeting given that other officials have previously signaled that a pause was likely.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Many central banks publish some sort of forecast that lays out what policymakers or the central bank’s staff see as the most likely way the economy will evolve.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Anything that impaired or deflected that central mission was to be avoided at all costs.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Much of it flows through the Central Arizona Project, the series of canals that run from the river to the Phoenix and Tucson areas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Mountbatten-Windsor's lawyers used a judicial review to successfully challenge the actions of the force's chief constable and the Central Criminal Court in the build-up to his arrest.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

The market path is interesting because it is the basis for broader financial conditions; the Bank of England and European Central Bank use this approach.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Deforestation slowed worldwide last year, but the improvement is unlikely to last as the situation deteriorates in Central Africa and an exceptionally strong El Nino weather pattern intensifies, a new study said on Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Hedge fund guys such as himself worked uptown and so exited Grand Central to the north, where taxis appeared haphazardly and out of nowhere to meet them, like farm trout rising to corn kernels.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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

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

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

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

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

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

They claim that a majority of Cuba's 175 "centrals" are now operating at a loss or barely paying expenses.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

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

“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

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Related Words

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

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