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central

central

528 2.1
Very important and needed for something to work
  • adjective
  • /ˈsɛntrəl/
translation icon : central
  • Education plays a central role in shaping an individual's future.
  • a central role
  • play a central role
  • the central question

They're very deep and central problems to all people.

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Examples

  • The concept of justice is central to any fair legal system.

  • All those things are central to a democratic society.

  • Money is one of the central parts of our lives.

  • We know that students' learning is the central focus of good teaching.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Rhythm probably plays a central role in language acquisition and effective communication in general.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Historians of the Old South generally focus on its central feature, slavery.

    Academic text (2011)
  • So prayer is the central pillar, if you will, of Islam.

  • How can school libraries and teacher-librarians become more central in the evolving teaching and learning process?

    Academic text (2011)
  • The theory of competition between professions is a central area of the literature on professions.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Trust is a central element in building strong relationships.

Synonyms

main
vscentral
1.0

Most important or central in a situation

is broader, indicating importance without naming prominence among parts
key
vscentral
2.0

Very important for something to work or succeed

is more neutral, naming overall importance rather than outcome control
chief
vscentral
3.2

The main thing that matters most

applies more widely, not limited to ranked groups or hierarchies
primary
vscentral
2.5

Being most important or basic

is more general, covering importance without implying sequence
critical
vscentral
917 4.0

Very important at a dangerous or decisive moment

denotes constant top importance rather than situational urgency
essential
vscentral
537 1.9

Needed for something to work or succeed

focuses more on general high importance than strict necessity
fundamental
vscentral
536 3.5

Very important and necessary for something to work

is broader, naming overall greatest importance rather than inner structure
pivotal
vscentral
84 4.9

Very important for the success of something

means high importance more generally, not necessarily outcome-determining
primal
vscentral
46 6.2

Most basic and needed for life

is about overall importance now rather than original or primitive status
paramount
vscentral
45 6.7

More important than anything else

is strong but may not imply being above everything else
cardinal
vscentral
  • Formal
29 5.0

Very important and basic to how something works

is similar but can apply more generally across contexts
all-important
vscentral
24 4.0

Very necessary for a decision or success

is slightly milder, marking top importance but not absolute necessity
capital
vscentral
  • Formal
22 4.0

More important than other things

is similar but used more broadly beyond status or effect

Antonyms

104 4.1

Not important or too small to matter

54 1.9

Not worth attention or notice

Idioms

Looks exactly like the kind of person chosen to play a role in a film or show

Compounds

108 1.0

A large public park in Manhattan that has wide green spaces and places for concerts

100 3.1

A national bank that controls a country's money and interest rates and holds money for the government and other banks

24 3.2

The brain and spinal cord that control the body and mind

A United States government organization that collects secret information about other countries

A region of countries between Mexico and South America, including Guatemala and Panama

11 3.2

Time used in the central United States and some parts of Canada and Mexico, one hour behind Eastern Time

The central bank that decides interest rates and manages money for countries using the euro

An official who led United States intelligence agencies and the Central Intelligence Agency from 1946 to 2005

Main office where leaders of a company or organization work and make decisions

A system that warms a building by making hot water or air in one place and sending it to rooms

A person from Central America

4 3.3

The main busy area in the middle of a city where people work and meet

In the southern part of the central area of a region

In the north and middle area of a region

Time zone used in central United States that is six hours behind Greenwich Mean Time

A group led by Germany and Austria-Hungary fighting the Allies in World War I

1 4.2

Main chip in a computer that does most of the work and controls other parts

A landlocked country in central Africa that became independent from France in 1960

1 3.6

Lies in the middle of the western part of a country or area

central processor
  • Specialized
1 3.7

The main chip in a computer that does most calculations and controls other parts

Money used in six Central African countries

The money used in the Central African Republic is the same as the CFA franc used by several countries

A fern with narrow, strap-like leaves that grows from Florida to Argentina

An artery that enters the eye beside the optic nerve and brings blood to the retina

central body
  • Specialized
8.1

Small area in a cell near the nucleus that holds centrioles and arranges tiny tubes

central chimpanzee
  • Specialized
7.6

A type of chimpanzee with a black face that lives in the forests of central Africa

9.9

A group of Dravidian languages spoken in central India

A Dravidian language spoken in central India, for example Gondi

central gyrus
  • Specialized
8.4

A raised area on each side of the brain's central groove that controls movement or feeling

The part of the British government that plans, organizes, and pays for intelligence and security agencies

central scotoma
  • Specialized
9.3

A blind spot in the center of vision that makes it hard to see faces or read

central sulcus
  • Specialized
6.5

A deep groove on the brain surface that separates the front and top parts

A form of the Thai language spoken in and around Bangkok

central vein of liver
  • Specialized
4.6

A small blood vessel at the center of a liver lobule that collects blood and sends it to larger veins

6.5

A vein that takes blood away from the back of the eye through the optic nerve

Main vein that drains blood from the small gland above each kidney into nearby large veins

central vision
  • Specialized
5.3

The sharp sight you use to see things in the center of your view

central vowel
  • Specialized
8.4

A vowel sound with the tongue in the middle of the mouth

9.0

A way a flower ovary holds the parts that make seeds on a central column without inner walls

A high mountainous plateau region in south central France

9.9

A Dravidian language that people speak in south-central India

How Important

vital
403 3.5
essential
50 2.4
central
528 2.1
important
1.0
significant
2.5
notable
112 3.7
minor
600 2.4

Surface Forms

central positive

Morphology

central = center (semi-transparent) = center + al

The word is formed regularly from 'center' plus '-al', but the sense 'of greatest importance' is a metaphorical extension from physical centrality.

Etymology

Central comes from Greek kentron, meaning 'center', the same root as center, so when something is central it is at the 'core' or most important part of an idea or problem.