CENTRAL Synonyms: 191 Similar and Opposite Words

central 1 of 2

adjective

ˈsen-trəl

Definition of central

as in main

coming before all others in importance the central theme of the book

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

central

2 of 2

noun

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. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of central

Adjective

Decentralizing implant power sources The core insight behind the new approach, says Yao, was the fact that biology doesn’t rely on a central power supply like a battery. — Edd Gent, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Oct. 2026 Also, a Russian cruise missile killed two 15-year-old girls in the northern city of Chernihiv, and three more civilians died when a Russian drone hit an apartment block in the central Ukraine city of Kremenchuk, authorities said. — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

Noun

Blazars, like the one central to this study, designated PKS 2233-148, have long been proposed to be the cosmic particle accelerators that blast out neutrinos. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 19 Aug. 2026 Some of the areas include the combat information center, message center (radio central), forward main engine room, boiler room, aircraft elevator machinery room, arresting gear engine room and more. — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for central

Recent Examples of Synonyms for central

Adjective

The kingdom partially resumed operations at its main airport on Sunday despite damage from earlier attacks, even as the Houthis threatened further strikes.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
The project will also improve sewer main capacity by upsizing a parallel line.

— Randy Moll, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of main

Adjective

Picture Tahoe City’s middle-aged men, wide-eyed in the should-I-pee hour, shadow-climbing the same fifty-seven moves on the same granite face.

— Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
The Panthers honored Luke Kuechly at halftime as the former middle linebacker received his Hall of Fame ring as part of a busy afternoon.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of middle

Adjective

Lawrence, who beat out more moderate candidates in the Democratic primary, was polling near even with Barrett in August.

— Connor Greene, Time, 30 Oct. 2026
Four moderate findings, each one manageable on its own, were sequenced into a full network compromise.

— Rohit Dhamankar, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of moderate

Adjective

The Heat used Larsson, Portis, Hardaway and Nikola Jovic as its four primary reserves for the third straight game to start the season.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
One thing most agree on is that the diminishment of competitive seats leads to greater polarization because legislators are only beholden to primary voters.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of primary

Adjective

The 24-year-old, like Gordon, who replaced him in the second half, offered energetic pressing, even sprinting from close to the halfway line to close down the goalkeeper at one point.

— Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
The 26-year-old information technology administrator consumed a Red Bull energy drink around the film's halfway mark to stay alert.

— Alex Harring, CNBC, 25 July 2026

Definition of halfway

Adjective

Earlier this month, Mastercard and BVNK launched Global Money Platform, designed to help banks, fintechs and businesses manage payments involving traditional currencies and stablecoins through a single application programming interface.

— Jenny Lee, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
But Rodrigues believes technology can augment traditional teaching methods by examining how a student solves an algebra problem or structures a piece of writing and identifying learning gaps.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of traditional

Noun

Alaska Airlines, Boise Airport’s main flight provider, will soon launch nonstop service from Idaho’s capital city to Santa Rosa, California.

— Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 28 Oct. 2026
The country's upper house of parliament voted last month to require UBS to hold 90% of Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital, or about $16 billion in extra shares, as collateral to support its foreign subsidiaries.

— Hugh Leask, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2026