cerebral

adjective

ce·​re·​bral sə-ˈrē-brəl  ˈser-ə- 

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 

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."

Synonyms

• blue
• eggheaded
• geeky
• highbrow
• highbrowed
• intellectual
• intellectualist
• intellectualistic
• long-haired
• longhair
• nerdish
• nerdy

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

Fellow Americans with measurable cerebral activity no doubt wonder about the sheer volume of high-level brainlessness that goes unreported. —Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2025

Roberts was one of the greatest heels in wrestling history, known for his cerebral mind games, chilling promos, and in-ring mindset for the business. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025

Saba is the cerebral rap poet who made his name with corrosively pained classics like 2018’s Care for Me and 2022’s Few Good Things. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2025

Whereas Liliana’s Invincible Summer is emotional, sincere, and relatively easy to follow, Death Takes Me is cerebral, fragmentary, and disorienting. —Nicolás Medina Mora, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2025

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

Phrases Containing cerebral

• cerebral artery
• cerebral cortex
• cerebral hemisphere
• cerebral palsy

Rhymes for cerebral

• intracerebral

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Kids Definition

cerebral

adjective

ce·​re·​bral sə-ˈrē-brəl  ˈser-ə- 

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  ˈser-ə- 

1

: of or relating to the brain or the intellect

2

: of, relating to, affecting, or being the cerebrum

cerebral blood flow

cerebral toxoplasmosis