Cerebral
/sɛˈriːbrəl/
adjectiveIntermediate📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning1 question
Definitions
1
Relating to the brain, or involving intelligence rather than emotions.
/sɛˈriːbrəl/
adjectiveneutralIntermediate
General
Relating to the brain or intellect.
His approach to the problem was highly cerebral.
💡 Simply: Cerebral means smart and thoughtful, like someone who loves to read and think deeply. It's about using your brain power, not just your feelings.
👶 For kids: It means using your brain to think hard!
More Examples
2
The novel explores cerebral themes of morality and identity.
How It's Used
Medical
"The patient suffered a cerebral hemorrhage."
Literary
"His writing style is cerebral and complex."
From Latin *cerebrum ('brain'). The word entered English in the 17th century.
Originally used primarily in medical contexts, its usage expanded to describe intellectual or thoughtful processes.
Memory tip
Think 'cerebrum' (brain) - cerebral relates to the brain's activity.
Word Origin
Original meaning
"brain"
Base: cerebrum
cerebral cortexcerebral palsycerebral hemorrhage
Common misspellings
cerebralalcerebrul
Practice
Usage
20%Spoken
80%Written