Definition of cerebral
1a : of or relating to the brain or the intellectb : of, relating to, affecting, or being the cerebrum cerebral edema cerebral arteries
2a : appealing to intellectual appreciation cerebral dramab : primarily intellectual in nature a cerebral society books for cerebral readers
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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 of cerebral from the Web
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Tanner Salinas, a Stevenson High School graduate with cerebral palsy, attended Game Three of the 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians as a fan.
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Yes, there had been cerebral rock records before: Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, the Beatles’ own Revolver.
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Thirteen-year-old J.J. Holmes of Longwood, who has severe cerebral palsy, also appeared at the protest and had a statement read by a rallygoer instead of through his computer vocalization device.
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Heber’s mother, Michelle, told the news outlet that her son is non-verbal, and has developmental delays, epilepsy and cerebral palsy, and that the toys provide him with comfort during his hospital stays.
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Hayden, who was born in Owensboro, Ky., was training on the Rimini coast following a motorcycle race at nearby Imola when he was struck by a car and suffered severe cerebral damage and multiple traumatic injuries.
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Several electrodes are implanted in Ramsey’s cerebral cortex.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cerebral'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
English borrowed its word cerebrum directly from the Latin word for "brain," but the adjective cerebral took a slightly more circuitous route into our language, reaching English by way of French cerebral. Cerebrum has been used in our language as a name for the brain since the early 1600s, though the more specific scientific sense, referring just to the large upper part of the brain, didn't develop until later. Cerebral has been appearing in print in English since at least 1816. Other brainy descendants of cerebrum in English include cerebellum (the part of the brain between the brain stem and the back of the cerebrum) and cerebrate, which arrived in English in 1915 with the meaning "to use the mind" or "to think."
Origin and Etymology of cerebral
French cérébral, from Latin cerebrum brain; akin to Old High German hirni brain, Greek kara head, keras horn, Sanskrit śiras head — more at horn
Other Anatomy Terms
CEREBRAL Defined for English Language Learners
cerebral
playDefinition of cerebral for English Language Learners
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medical : of or relating to the brain
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: related to the mind rather than to feelings : intellectual and not emotional
CEREBRAL Defined for Kids
cerebral
playDefinition of cerebral for Students
1 : of or relating to the brain or mind
2 : of, relating to, or affecting the cerebrum
Medical Dictionary
Learn More about cerebral
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See words that rhyme with cerebral Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for cerebral Spanish Central: Translation of cerebral Nglish: Translation of cerebral for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of cerebral for Arabic speakers
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