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
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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
This town is built with two primary materials: white and gray matter.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 21 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
This town is built with two primary materials: white and gray matter.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 21 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
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Your base is the foundation of any makeup look, but in the year 2025, that doesn’t have to include actual foundation—at least not in the traditional sense.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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Instead of clarity and a sense of financial empowerment, individuals experience costly missteps and are left unsure of where to find reliable guidance—eroding any trust in the mainstream financial system.—
Sandy Anderson,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Managing and interpreting the flood of data would be impossible without machine intelligence.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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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
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Like Paul, Charlie did not use his incredible intellect to lord it over his interlocutors.—
Brooke L. Rollins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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He is widely seen as an extraordinary statesman who possessed a unique blend of intellect and political ability, and who remained a humble and approachable father figure for his people throughout his long tenure.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In many cases, the two reasons amount to the same thing, with the same cause.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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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 18 Sep. 2025.
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