cerebral

adjective

sə-ˈrē-brəl How to pronounce cerebral (audio)
Definition of cerebralnext
1
as in intellectual
much given to learning and thinking a very cerebral jurist who has given much thought to what makes our nation's constitution work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mental
of or relating to the mind a young man given more to cerebral pursuits than to sporting activities

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cerebral The child developed spastic cerebral palsy and was believed to have cerebral visual impairment. — Inaya Folarin Iman, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026 With both of these planets transiting Air signs, there is a cerebral side to this alignment, presenting the opportunity to channel feelings of restlessness into something resourceful. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026 When he was hired in January, the prevailing thought was that the cerebral partnership between McDaniel and Herbert would prove a perfect match. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026 Yet despite the technical wizardry—dry-aging, fermentation, curing, meticulous butchery—the dishes never feel overly cerebral. — Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cerebral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cerebral
  1. intellectual
  2. mental
  3. internal
  4. inner
  5. interior
  6. psychological
Adjective
  • Walzer thought the matter through aloud with me, at one point letting out a small chuckle at his intellectual perplexity.
    — Jordi Graupera, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The 500-piece collection reflects the Black writers who have shaped her intellectual and artistic growth.
    — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of intellectual
Adjective
  • The mental toll that comes with Ebola Losing relatives to disease outbreaks is always difficult, but responders say grief can be especially severe with Ebola in a country where the disease is viewed by many as evil due to rumors and misconceptions.
    — Constant Same Bagalwa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Their alluring quality belies their extreme toxicity; at times used as a hallucinogen, their ingestion can cause severe mental confusion and even death.
    — Tatiane de Assis, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of mental
Adjective
  • In internal studies, Adalat has seen major improvements in the number of witnesses heard and orders issued at courts that use its tools, which have reached more than 6,000 courtrooms across 11 states.
    — Zoë Schiffer, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal strategy.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of internal
Adjective
  • That year, Samsung released one of its first folding devices, and reviewers quickly found that its inner screen cracked during normal use.
    — Kif Leswing,MacKenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
  • His Yeoville Dinner Club, found on the main street of the immigrant-rich inner Johannesburg neighborhood, is now in its 10th year.
    — Leah Quinn, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of inner
Adjective
  • The deputy pointed to Les Républicains leader and presidential candidate Bruno Retailleau, who was interior minister in 2023 when police shot a teenager of Algerian-Moroccan descent and sparked nationwide protests.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Her concern stems from the claim by the powerful interior minister, Amit Shah, who first said the voter revision would be aimed at detecting, deleting and deporting infiltrators.
    — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of interior
Adjective
  • For relative newcomer Marwan Waleed, that means tense body movements and a downcast tilt to his head, reflecting the psychological toll of having been trapped in a locked van when kidnapped in Libya.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
  • My childhood school in Denmark hadn’t been turned to rubble but into an emotional battlefield, a psychological groundhog’s day of explosive arguments, violent brawls—and brief, fragile truces that always shattered when the home bell rung.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of psychological

Browse Nearby Words

ceramics
cerebral
cerebral palsy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cerebral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cerebral. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All