1
as in main
coming before all others in importance
the central theme of the book
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in middle
occupying a position equally distant from the ends or extremes
will hold the conference in the central part of the country in order to encourage delegates from both coasts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in moderate
avoiding major social change or extreme political ideas
with all of the attention being paid to the party's right and left wings, the vast central core has been largely ignored
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in center
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
a health club that has become dating central for singles in the area
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of central
Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Details of the original bombing remain central to the investigation.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2026
Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Estrogen plays a critical role in regulating dopamine, the neurotransmitter central to attention, memory, and motivation.
—Sarah Oreck, SELF, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for central
Adjective
The venues for these projects were equally wide-ranging, from museums such as EMST and the Museum of Cycladic Art to ancient sites like the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Ancient Agora; as well as the Kerameikos Neighborhood, a parking space in central Athens, and other public spaces.
—Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Details of the original bombing remain central to the investigation.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
Timing of Galati’s killing central to case The lawsuit names Sacramento County, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office as defendants.
—Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Estrogen plays a critical role in regulating dopamine, the neurotransmitter central to attention, memory, and motivation.
—Sarah Oreck, SELF, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for central
Recent Examples of Synonyms for central
Adjective
-
Three main risks should worry Congress, the courts and every American about the rapid rise of these markets.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Surges can sometimes indicate an underlying wiring issue or a problem with your main breaker.—
Timothy Dale,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
When the Broncos cut Greenlaw, the 49ers wasted no time in bringing him back to pair with middle linebacker Fred Warner in hopes of reviving one of the NFL’s top linebacker tandems.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The middle innings are when things tend to get inefficient for Peralta.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Forest Fire Danger Report lists wildfire danger as high or moderate for much of the state.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The system is expected to bring moderate rainfall to Sacramento, Modesto, Merced, Fresno and San Luis Obispo.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In sixth inning, Villa Park tied the score 2-2 on a two-out infield single by speedy center fielder Shea Gonzalez.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Iran has also conducted drone strikes that damaged data centers in the region that are owned by Amazon Web Services, which operates the world’s largest cloud platform—high-value targets with major financial and operational ramifications.—
Sue Halpern,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Lemon was also the Trojans’ primary return man during his sophomore and junior seasons and was even used on a trick play against Oregon this season that resulted in a 24-yard touchdown pass to then-freshman Tanook Hines.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The Highway Trust Fund — the primary federal account dedicated to funding highways, bridges and transit — is going broke.—
Andrew Stasiowski,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Shortly after the halfway mark, the movie morphs into something closer to an unofficial three-hander.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
14 Apr. 2026
-
As the crew made it to the halfway point between the Earth and the moon, NASA shared an update at midnight on April 4.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
That strategy emphasized heavy diversification into illiquid alternative assets — such as private equity, venture capital and real estate — over traditional stocks and bonds.—
Terry Savage,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Additionally, unlike traditional bleaching which tends to give fabrics a flat look, Zero allows marbling.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Thanks to their Thursday-night maneuvering, the Niners now possess the extra draft capital necessary to package some picks and jump back up to grab another Top 50 prospect.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The Saudis wanted to attract Western business, and to have Riyadh supplant Abu Dhabi and Dubai as the Middle East’s economic capital.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Central.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/central. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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