cerebral

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛ.ɹɪb.ɹəl/, /ˈsɛ.ɹɪb.ɹl̩/, /səˈɹiː.bɹəl/, /səˈɹiː.bɹl̩/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /səˈɹi.bɹəl/, /ˈsɛɹ.əb.ɹəl/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛɹɪbɹəl, -iːbɹəl

Borrowing from French cérébral, from Latin cerebrum (“a brain”); equivalent to cerebrum +‎ -al.

cerebral (comparative more cerebral, superlative most cerebral)

1. (anatomy, relational) Of or relating to the brain, cerebrum, or cerebral cortex.

   Synonyms: brainial (uncommon), brainy (rare)

2. Intellectual rather than emotional or physical.

   Coordinate term: visceral

   • 2024 September 19, James Miller, “Karl Marx, Weirder Than Ever”, in The New York Times Book Review‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:

     Certainly, “Capital” is a cerebral read and the dangers of the world Marx lived in are not all the same as ours.

     (Can we archive this URL?)

   • 2025 April 13, Simon Romero, “Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel-Winning Peruvian Novelist, Dies at 89”, in The New York Times‎^[2]:

     His cerebral candidacy, inspired by European and North American political and economic philosophers, and his very appearance, with his light-colored skin, trim physique and penchant for preppy sweaters, contrasted with an electorate largely made up of impoverished Quechua-speaking people and Spanish-speaking mestizos.

Semantic loan from Sanskrit मूर्धन्य (mūrdhanya, “pertaining to the head”).

cerebral (comparative more cerebral, superlative most cerebral)

1. (linguistics, obsolete) Retroflex.

• “cerebral”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “cerebral”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

cerebru +‎ -al.

• IPA^(key): /θeɾeˈbɾal/ [θe.ɾeˈβ̞ɾal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: ce‧re‧bral

cerebral (epicene, plural cerebrales)

1. (anatomy, medicine) cerebral

• cerebru

A learned formation from the root of Latin cerebrum and the suffix -al.

• IPA^(key): (Central) [sə.ɾəˈβɾal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [sə.ɾəˈbɾal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [se.ɾeˈbɾal]

cerebral m or f (masculine and feminine plural cerebrals)

1. cerebral

• paràlisi cerebral

• cervell

From French cérébral (“cerebral”), from Latin cerebrum (“brain”).

• IPA^(key): /serəbraːl/, [serəˈb̥ʁɑːˀl]

cerebral

1. cerebral (of, or relating to the brain)

• “cerebral” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “cerebral” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

From cérebro +‎ -al.

• Rhymes: -al, -aw
• Hyphenation: ce‧re‧bral

cerebral m or f (plural cerebrais)

1. (relational) brain, cerebral cortex; cerebral

• cerebralmente

• cérebro

• “cerebral”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “cerebral”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2025
• “cerebral” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “cerebral”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
• “cerebral”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
• “cerebral”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Borrowed from French cérébral.

cerebral m or n (feminine singular cerebrală, masculine plural cerebrali, feminine and neuter plural cerebrale)

1. cerebral

From cerebro +‎ -al.

• IPA^(key): /θeɾeˈbɾal/ [θe.ɾeˈβ̞ɾal] (Spain)
• IPA^(key): /seɾeˈbɾal/ [se.ɾeˈβ̞ɾal] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: ce‧re‧bral

cerebral m or f (masculine and feminine plural cerebrales)

1. cerebral

• “cerebral”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

cerebral (comparative mer cerebral, superlative mest cerebral)

1. (anatomy) cerebral
2. intellectual (rather than emotional)

• cerebral in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• cerebral in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• cerebral in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)