cerebral

adjective

ce·​re·​bral sə-ˈrē-brəl  ˈser-ə- 

ˈse-rə-

1

a

: of or relating to the brain or the intellect

b

: of, relating to, affecting, or being the cerebrum

cerebral edema

cerebral arteries

2

a

: appealing to intellectual appreciation

cerebral drama

b

: primarily intellectual in nature

a cerebral society

books for cerebral readers

cerebrally

sə-ˈrē-brə-lē 

ˈser-ə-, 

ˈse-rə-

adverb

Did you know?

Cerebral comes from Latin cerebrum—a word meaning "brain." Another brainy word is cerebrate, "to use the mind" or "to think."

Synonyms of cerebral

• intellectual

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 on the Web

Everest hopefuls should also be cognizant of high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), which Cleveland Clinic describes as a swelling in the brain due to a lack of oxygen. —Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025

The weirdly democratized art of fiction means that writers with only a fraction of the cerebral heft of a Susan Sontag can produce novels far better than something as weighty as In America. —Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025

His playing was soulful, genuine — no math, no patterns, no cerebral showing-off. —Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2025

After trials in these models, the team progressed to in vivo demonstrations, successfully navigating microrobots in pigs and through the challenging cerebral fluid of sheep. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French cérébral, from Latin cerebrum brain; akin to Old High German hirni brain, Greek kara head, keras horn, Sanskrit śiras head — more at horn

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing cerebral

• cerebral artery
• cerebral cortex
• cerebral hemisphere
• cerebral palsy

Rhymes for cerebral

• intracerebral

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

cerebral

adjective

ce·​re·​bral sə-ˈrē-brəl  ˈser-ə- 

1

: of or relating to the brain

2

: of, relating to, or being the cerebrum

3

: intellectual entry 1 sense 1

a cerebral novel

Medical Definition

cerebral

adjective

ce·​re·​bral sə-ˈrē-brəl  ˈser-ə- 

1

: of or relating to the brain or the intellect

2

: of, relating to, affecting, or being the cerebrum

cerebral blood flow

cerebral toxoplasmosis