gray matter

noun

1

: neural tissue especially of the brain and spinal cord that contains nerve-cell bodies as well as nerve fibers and has a brownish-gray color

2

: brains, intellect

The key to his surge has been an increased use of his gray matter …

—Austin Murphy

Synonyms of gray matter

• sense
• intelligence
• intellect
• reason
• brain(s)

Examples of gray matter in a Sentence

she's got the gray matter to figure that equation out

Recent Examples on the Web

The researchers measured the participants’ vitamin C levels using blood samples and performed MRI scans to calculate the volume of gray matter and white matter in their brains. —Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2026

Results showed that participants with higher plasma vitamin C levels tended to have more gray matter volume and more connectivity in their default mode network than peers who had less vitamin C circulating in their blood. —Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 10 June 2026

The cortex is composed of gray matter that’s responsible for high-level thinking, which plays a role in learning, memory, problem-solving, emotions and consciousness. —Sara Novak, Scientific American, 18 May 2026

The gray matter in our brains as early teenagers is actually the fullest of our lives. —Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gray matter

• backscatter
• antimatter
• atter
• batter
• blatter
• catarrh
• chatter
• clatter
• fatter
• flatter
• hatter
• latter

Kids Definition

gray matter

noun

1

: nerve tissue especially of the brain and spinal cord that has a brownish gray color

2

: intelligence sense 1

Medical Definition

gray matter

noun

: neural tissue especially of the brain and spinal cord that contains cell bodies as well as nerve fibers, has a brownish gray color, and forms most of the cortex and nuclei of the brain, the columns of the spinal cord, and the bodies of ganglia

called also gray substance