1
: containing or constituting a center
3
a
: situated at, in, or near the center
the central part of the state
b
: easily accessible from outlying districts
a central location for the new theater
4
a
: centrally placed and superseding separate scattered units
central heating
b
: controlling or directing local or branch activities
the central committee
5
: holding to a middle between extremes : moderate
6
: of, relating to, or comprising the brain and spinal cord
also
: originating within the central nervous system
central deafness
1
: a telephone exchange or operator
2
: a central office or bureau usually controlling others
weather central
3
: a center or hub for a specified activity or group
her house is party central
the family room becomes kid central
Synonyms
Examples of central in a Sentence
Adjective
The house has four rooms and a central chimney.
City planners are looking for a central location for the new hospital.
The evidence was central to the defense's case.
The country's schools are financed by both local and central governments.
The central authority of the company's board is being challenged.
Noun
Our family room becomes kid central on weekends.
a health club that has become dating central for singles in the area
Recent Examples on the Web
Victor Cha, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
Safety issues have been central to a nationwide campaign to unionize workers at Amazon facilities, many of whom are employed by third-party contractors.
—Daniel Wiessner, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Better to have an affiliate behaving badly, al Qaeda central figured, than to have no affiliate at all.
—William McCants, Foreign Affairs, 19 Nov. 2013
See all Example Sentences for central 
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Adjective
The country’s deep ideological divides contribute to this problem, but it’s also rooted in a concept called han, which is central to many Koreans’ emotional identity.
—Victor Cha, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
Safety issues have been central to a nationwide campaign to unionize workers at Amazon facilities, many of whom are employed by third-party contractors.
—Daniel Wiessner, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
Noun
Elyssa was also a central to the Green Hill battalion winning the Wilson County Warrior Games championship last school year.
—Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Better to have an affiliate behaving badly, al Qaeda central figured, than to have no affiliate at all.
—William McCants, Foreign Affairs, 19 Nov. 2013
See all Example Sentences for central
Dictionary Entries Near central
Cite this Entry
“Central.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/central. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
central
adjective
cen·tral
ˈsen-trəl 
1
: of or concerning the centrum of a vertebra
2
a
: of, relating to, or comprising the brain and spinal cord
b
: originating within the central nervous system : caused by factors originating in the central nervous system
central precocious puberty
3
: affecting or involving the trunk of the body and especially the abdomen
central adiposity
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