cranium
noun
cra·ni·um
ˈkrā-nē-əm 
plural craniums or crania
ˈkrā-nē-ə
: skull
specifically
: the part of the skull that encloses the brain : braincase
Among the physical characters that distinguish them from other early humans are the long, low sweep of the Neanderthal cranium … —
James Shreeve
James Shreeve "Hey, big head!" Mahorn shouted. Aguirre does, in fact, have an extraordinary cranium. —Jeff Coplon
Jeff Coplon You don't "watch" a film like Fight Club; you mainline a deluge of visual and sonic information (including a hefty chunk of the IKEA catalog) straight into your cranium. —Jeff Gordinier
Jeff Gordinier Examples of cranium in a Sentence
the cranium of a Neanderthal is striking for its brow ridges
Recent Examples on the Web
Using high-resolution scans of the child’s cranium and jaw, scientists now propose that the individual possessed anatomical traits of both Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Of course, something similar typified our evolution, too, which can all too easily be cast as the blossoming forth of ever-plumper craniums.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Eventually, the villager spotted something unexpected—the nearly complete cranium of an unknown, ancient hominin protruding from a small chamber’s interior wall.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2025
Then, the snakes swallow the prey whole, sometimes downing shockingly large animals thanks to the stretchy connective tissue between their cranium and lower jaw.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cranium
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Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Of course, something similar typified our evolution, too, which can all too easily be cast as the blossoming forth of ever-plumper craniums.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Eventually, the villager spotted something unexpected—the nearly complete cranium of an unknown, ancient hominin protruding from a small chamber’s interior wall.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2025
Then, the snakes swallow the prey whole, sometimes downing shockingly large animals thanks to the stretchy connective tissue between their cranium and lower jaw.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cranium
Cite this Entry
“Cranium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cranium. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cranium
noun
cra·ni·um
ˈkrā-nē-əm
plural craniums or crania
-nē-ə
: skull sense 1
especially
: the part that encloses the brain
Medical Definition
cranium
noun
cra·ni·um
ˈkrā-nē-əm
plural craniums or crania
-nē-ə
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