cerebral

adjective

ce·​re·​bral sə-ˈrē-brəl How to pronounce cerebral (audio) ˈser-ə- How to pronounce cerebral (audio)
ˈse-rə-
1
a
: of or relating to the brain or the intellect
b
: of, relating to, affecting, or being the cerebrum
cerebral edema
cerebral arteries
2
a
: appealing to intellectual appreciation
cerebral drama
b
: primarily intellectual in nature
a cerebral society
books for cerebral readers
cerebrally
sə-ˈrē-brə-lē How to pronounce cerebral (audio)
ˈser-ə-
ˈse-rə-
adverb

Did you know?

Cerebral comes from Latin cerebrum—a word meaning "brain." Another brainy word is cerebrate, "to use the mind" or "to think."

Examples of cerebral in a Sentence

He's a very cerebral comedian. a very cerebral jurist who has given much thought to what makes our nation's constitution work
Recent Examples on the Web There are the cerebral books, the ones in which his passion for philosophy acts as a narrative engine as powerful as plot. Maya Binyam, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Though he’s most often associated with exhilarating crime sagas like Goodfellas and The Departed (not to mention his depictions of violence), Scorsese has repeatedly proven to be adept at practically every genre, from religious epics and cerebral thrillers to black comedies and domestic dramas. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024 Due March 22 through Because Music, her debut album, Mother, is 11-tracks of cerebral, underground-leaning house music that contains elements of the many facets of femininity. Katie Bain, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2024 The cerebral, smiley righty from Scranton, Pennsylvania, is the only one of the five to have reached Triple-A and this spring is unburdened by workload restrictions. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024 Miuccia Prada has dressed generations of women in her unique brand of cerebral chic, but this month Vogue is toasting Miuccia herself. Julia Hobbs, Vogue, 13 Feb. 2024 Additionally, Pisceans can struggle to form meaningful relationships with cerebral, unemotional air signs (Gemini, Libra and Aquarius). Katie Mannion, Peoplemag, 18 Feb. 2024 Tim is one of the cerebral Harvard guys, and Tracy's off-the-hook Brooklyn. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Dec. 2023 Michael Bennet, the cerebral Colorado Democrat who, as a member of the bipartisan group known as the Gang of Eight, helped negotiate an immigration-reform bill that passed the Senate in 2013, joined. Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cerebral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French cérébral, from Latin cerebrum brain; akin to Old High German hirni brain, Greek kara head, keras horn, Sanskrit śiras head — more at horn

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of cerebral was in 1801

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Dictionary Entries Near cerebral

Cite this Entry

“Cerebral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cerebral. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cerebral

adjective
ce·​re·​bral sə-ˈrē-brəl How to pronounce cerebral (audio) ˈser-ə- How to pronounce cerebral (audio)
1
: of or relating to the brain
2
: of, relating to, or being the cerebrum
3
: intellectual entry 1 sense 1
a cerebral novel

Medical Definition

cerebral

adjective
ce·​re·​bral sə-ˈrē-brəl How to pronounce cerebral (audio) ˈser-ə- How to pronounce cerebral (audio)
1
: of or relating to the brain or the intellect
2
: of, relating to, affecting, or being the cerebrum
cerebral blood flow
cerebral toxoplasmosis

More from Merriam-Webster on cerebral

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