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View synonyms for

central

1

[ sen-truhl ]

adjective

  1. of or forming the center:

    the central hut in the village.

  2. in, at, or near the center:

    a central position.

  3. constituting something from which other related things proceed or upon which they depend:

    a central office.

  4. the play's central character.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

  5. Anatomy, Zoology.
    1. of or relating to the central nervous system.
    2. of or relating to the centrum of a vertebra.
  6. Phonetics. (of a speech sound) produced with the tongue articulating neither expressly forward nor in the back part of the mouth, as any of the sounds of lull.
  7. Physics. (of a force) directed to or from a fixed point.


noun

  1. (formerly)
    1. a main telephone exchange.
    2. a telephone operator at such an exchange.

central

2

[ sen-trahl; Spanish sen-trahl ]

noun

plural centrals, Spanish centrales
  1. (in Spanish America and the Philippines) a mill for crushing cane into raw sugar.

Central

3

[ sen-truhl ]

noun

  1. a region in central Scotland. 1,016 sq. mi. (2,631 sq. km).

central

/ ˈɛԳٰə /

adjective

  1. in, at, of, from, containing, or forming the centre of something

    the central material of a golf ball

    the central street in a city

  2. main, principal, or chief; most important

    the central cause of a problem

    1. of or relating to the central nervous system
    2. of or relating to the centrum of a vertebra
  3. of, relating to, or denoting a vowel articulated with the tongue held in an intermediate position halfway between the positions for back and front vowels, as for the a of English soda
  4. (of a force) directed from or towards a point
  5. informal.
    immediately postpositive used to describe a place where a specified thing, quality, etc is to be found in abundance

    nostalgia central

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈԳٰ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • t· adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of central1

First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin Գٰ, “centrally located,” equivalent to centr(um) center + - -al 1

Origin of central2

First recorded in 1885–90; from Latin American Spanish, special use of Spanish central central 1
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The president’s comments about Fed Chair Jerome Powell — especially his threat to fire him — have put investors on alert, elevating concerns over the U.S. central bank’s independence.

From

But just when the central characters’ fascinating messiness achieves peak interest, you realize this movie’s earnest commercial shimmer is never going to segue into a denser, darker poetry.

From

Traffic was halted as a convoy of cars carrying Witkoff arrived in central Moscow, on his fourth visit to Russia since the start of the year.

From

US President Donald Trump has some well-known nemeses: illegal immigrants, low-flow showers and last, but definitely not least, the head of the US central bank.

From

His father says the 980-seat theatre will forfeit the tournament unless central government or Sheffield City Council, with whom he has a meeting planned next week, step up their commitment.

From

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centraCentral African