cerebral

adjective

sə-ˈrē-brəl How to pronounce cerebral (audio)
Definition of cerebralnext
1
as in intellectual
much given to learning and thinking a very cerebral jurist who has given much thought to what makes our nation's constitution work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mental
of or relating to the mind a young man given more to cerebral pursuits than to sporting activities

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 cerebral In a statement, LACMA director and CEO Michael Govan connected Celmins’s blend of realism and imagination with Villeneuve’s contemplative and cerebral films. — Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026 Bos, in a far cry from his cerebral Hamlet, embraces the physical comedy of dual supporting roles, the Jeeves-like butler Lane and the Cockney servant Merriman. — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026 Shriver added that Jovic can learn from Pegula’s cerebral approach, while veterans like Pegula can tap into a fresh mindset from the younger generation’s unflinching energy. — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026 Spontaneous and slightly chaotic, this cerebral synergy can bring surprising news or perhaps even trigger the sudden urge to break out of a stagnant situation. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for cerebral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cerebral
  1. intellectual
  2. mental
  3. internal
  4. inner
  5. interior
  6. psychological
Adjective
  • The disease can cause intellectual deficits as well as severe physical symptoms.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
  • Professors are eager to work with student veterans and believe the life experience veterans bring to the classroom is crucial to the intellectual diversity of institutions like Caltech.
    — Francesca Pinney, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of intellectual
Adjective
  • So kudos to the extras who steal scenes from them in the background, flailing like avant-garde dancers when a vicious mental parasite leaps from grandmothers to joggers to security guards on a quest to find something awful.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
  • Life can change in an instant, and someone in a precarious mental state may seem to be improving before taking a sharp turn for the worse.
    — Charles Trepany, USA Today, 30 July 2026
Definition of mental
Adjective
  • Adobe's Aaliyah Taylor, a Senior Community Events Manager, faces internal debate over her strong personal brand being an asset or liability.
    — Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • In Montana, Marshall Bloom, an associate director at Rocky Mountain Labs, told the Ravalli County Board of Health in a July meeting that the scientists have been suspended and aren’t allowed on campus amid an internal NIH investigation.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Definition of internal
Adjective
  • In this way, the inner world of a cow has global significance.
    — Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 27 July 2026
  • Each track uses minimalist gestures to suggest cavernous inner dimensions.
    — H.D. Angel, Pitchfork, 27 July 2026
Definition of inner
Adjective
  • Mostly an interior tackle, Echoles did a little bit of everything up front for the Rebels in his sophomore season (39 pressures as a first-year starter).
    — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • The effect here is powerful and brings in the road and the landscape rather than the noise of interior controls and screens.
    — Scotty Reiss, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of interior
Adjective
  • Higher levels of openness to experience, conscientiousness, and agreeableness were tied to better psychological well-being and engaging in more leisure activities in older age.
    — Refractor, Refractor, 27 July 2026
  • This psychological phenomenon explains why initial impressions can be so strong, leading managers to react differently to similar employees, seeing confidence in one and arrogance in another.
    — Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of psychological

Browse Nearby Words

ceramics
cerebral
cerebral palsy
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Cerebral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cerebral. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on cerebral

Nglish: Translation of cerebral for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of spindrift

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All