core

1 the seat of one's deepest thoughts and emotions in my very core I knew that an injustice was being committed Synonyms of core belly, blood, bone(s), bosom, breast, gut, heart, heartstrings, inner space, inside, quick, soul Words Related to core conscience, mind

2 a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest the capitol building is the core of the political life of the state Synonyms of core axis, base, capital, central, center, cynosure, epicenter, eye, focus, ground zero, heart, hub, locus, mecca, navel, nerve center, nexus, nucleus, omphalos, seatWords Related to core headquarters; happy hunting ground, hive, hotbed, hot spot, playground, playland; kernel, nub, pith; deep, thick; essence, quintessence, soul; attraction, lodestone (also loadstone), magnet, polestar

3 the central part or aspect of something under consideration at last, we come to the core of the issue that has been dividing us Synonyms of core bottom line, bull's-eye, centerpiece, crux, essence, gist, heart, kernel, keynote, meat, meat and potatoes, net, nub, nubbin, nucleus, pith, pivot, point, root, sumWords Related to core course, direction, drift, tenor; body, content, substance; hypothesis, proposition, purport, subject, theme, thesis

4 the main or greater part of something as distinguished from its subordinate parts a starfish can even survive the division of its core into two parts; both halves then regenerate Synonyms of core brunt, bulk, chief, body, generality, heft [archaic], main, mass, staple, weightWords Related to core majority; aggregate, amount, entirety, quantum, sum, sum total, total, totality, whole; bottom, essence, essentiality, marrow, meat, nature, pith, quintessence, root, soul, stuff, substance; center, heart, hub, kernel, middle, nucleus, nut, seat; affair, argument, burden, crux, focus, gist, nub, pitch, point, purport; matter, motif, subject, text, theme, topicNear Antonyms of core accessory (also accessary), adjunct, appendage, extension, offshoot; component, constituent, element, ingredient; division, part, piece, section, segment; angle, aspect, facet, feature, quality, side

5 an area or point that is an equal distance from all points along an edge or outer surface the mountain rises from ground that is almost precisely at the island's core Synonyms of core center, middle, midpoint, midstWords Related to core inside, interiorAntonyms of core perimeter, periphery