neural

adjective

1
: of, relating to, or affecting a nerve or the nervous system
2
: situated in the region of or on the same side of the body as the brain and spinal cord : dorsal
neurally
ˈnu̇r-ə-lē How to pronounce neural (audio)
ˈnyu̇r-
adverb

Examples of neural in a Sentence

She suffers from a neural disorder.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Modern neuroscience has established that complex behaviors, such as mating, emerge from an interplay between hormonal signals and neural processing. William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025 Among those randomly assigned to the LLM group, neural connectivity patterns were significantly scaled down. Dina Borzekowski, Baltimore Sun, 16 July 2025 Applying both behavioral approaches and fMRI brain imaging, the team found that friendships prompt behavioral and neural similarity, with the brain activity of one friend providing a preview of the brain activity, as well as the behavior, of the other. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 14 July 2025 In recent years, GPUs have become the workhorses for tasks such as high-performance computing, machine learning, neural networking, and other AI uses. ArsTechnica, 14 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for neural

Word History

Etymology

Greek neûron "sinew, tendon, nerve" + -al entry 1 — more at nerve entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of neural was circa 1847

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Neural.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neural. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

neural

adjective
neu·​ral ˈn(y)u̇r-əl How to pronounce neural (audio)
: of, relating to, or affecting a nerve or the nervous system

Medical Definition

neural

adjective
neu·​ral ˈn(y)u̇r-əl How to pronounce neural (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or affecting a nerve or the nervous system
2
: situated in the region of or on the same side of the body as the brain and spinal cord : dorsal compare hemal sense 2
neurally adverb

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