cranial

adjective

cra·​ni·​al ˈkrā-nē-əl 

1

: of or relating to the skull or cranium

2

: cephalic

cranially

ˈkrā-nē-ə-lē 

adverb

Examples of cranial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The victim suffered deep cranial and facial cuts and lost teeth in the attack, police said. — Jason Green, Mercury News, 2 June 2026

Lynch suffered facial fractures, a cranial leak and other injuries. — Katie Houlis, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026

What’s playing on that magical cranial monitor, however, is one half of the shadow self that lurks behind all of Yes‘ provocations. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2026

Mice, chickens, zebrafish and humans all rely on similar genetic programs to guide cranial neural crest cell development. — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cranial

• cranial index
• cranial nerve
• ninth cranial nerve

Kids Definition

cranial

adjective

cra·​ni·​al ˈkrā-nē-əl 

: of, relating to, or directed toward the skull or cranium

Medical Definition

cranial

adjective

cra·​ni·​al ˈkrā-nē-əl 

1

: of or relating to the skull or cranium

2

: cephalic

the cranial end of the spinal column

cranially

-ə-lē 

adverb