as in sense
the ability to learn and understand or to deal with problems
she's got the gray matter to figure that equation out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 gray matter
In other words there’s a measurable reduction in brain volume or gray matter in certain areas.
—
Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 13 Aug. 2025
While gray matter naturally decreases with age, research indicates that adults who engage in excessive screen time have significantly lower gray matter volume compared to their peers.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Brain scans of people who spend time in nature show that their prefrontal cortex has more gray matter and a stronger ability to think clearly and self-regulate.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
The density of signals gives information about the molecular makeup of bodily tissues—distinguishing bone from blood, white matter from gray matter, tumors from healthy tissue.
—IEEE Spectrum, 25 Sep. 2012
See All Example Sentences for gray matter
Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 13 Aug. 2025
While gray matter naturally decreases with age, research indicates that adults who engage in excessive screen time have significantly lower gray matter volume compared to their peers.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Brain scans of people who spend time in nature show that their prefrontal cortex has more gray matter and a stronger ability to think clearly and self-regulate.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
The density of signals gives information about the molecular makeup of bodily tissues—distinguishing bone from blood, white matter from gray matter, tumors from healthy tissue.
—IEEE Spectrum, 25 Sep. 2012
See All Example Sentences for gray matter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gray matter
Noun
-
Bryce Young has to be better After building up an immense sense of goodwill, locally and nationally, with his second-half performance from last year, Young essentially melted away in the Jacksonville heat.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Giving people a greater sense of agency.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Managing and interpreting the flood of data would be impossible without machine intelligence.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Counterterrorism strategies must continue to adapt to meet this evolving battleground, leveraging not only military and intelligence tools but also public-private partnerships with tech platforms, AI monitoring, and global diplomacy.—
Richard Frankel,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Michèle comes across as a singular and powerful personality, with something of Akerman’s own trenchant intellect, assertive candor, and vulnerable self-revelation.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
-
With his new book, Pan, Clune has turned his cockeyed sensibility and coruscating intellect to fiction.—
Scott Stossel,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In many cases, the two reasons amount to the same thing, with the same cause.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The second reason is that these aura battler designs were very complex and full of curves as well as weird angles.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gray matter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gray%20matter. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share