central

/ˈsɛntrəl/

/ˈsɛntrəl/

Other forms: centrals

Anything central is in the middle of something — or essential to it. Central things are fundamental and important.

Think about the center of a circle: it's right in the middle, equidistant from all sides. Similarly, anything central is in the middle of something. The central part of a city is downtown. You can also say something central is an important, crucial part of something. National security is a central responsibility of the President. Communication is a central goal of writing. Central things are essential and key.

Definitions of central

1. adjective

   in or near a center or constituting a center; the inner area
   “a central position”

   synonyms:

   amidship

   located in the middle part of a ship or aircraft

   bicentric

   having two centers

   bifocal

   having two foci

   center, halfway, middle, midway

   equally distant from the extremes

   centered

   being or placed in the center

   centric, centrical

   having or situated at or near a center

   focal, nodal

   having or localized centrally at a focus

   medial, median

   relating to or situated in or extending toward the middle

   middlemost, midmost

   being in the exact middle

   nuclear

   constituting or like a nucleus

   antonyms:

   peripheral

   on or near an edge or constituting an outer boundary; the outer area

   circumferential

   lying around or just outside the edges or outskirts

   fringy, marginal

   at or constituting a border or edge

   encircling, skirting

   being all around the edges; enclosing

   off-base

   located outside a military base
2. adjective

   serving as an essential component
   “the central cause of the problem”

   synonyms: cardinal, fundamental, key, primal

   important, of import

   of great significance or value
3. noun

   a workplace that serves as a telecommunications facility where lines from telephones can be connected together to permit communication
   synonyms: exchange, telephone exchange

   types:

   centrex

   (CENTRal EXchange) a kind of telephone exchange

   patchboard, plugboard, switchboard

   telephone central where circuits are completed with patchcords

   type of:

   work, workplace

   a place where work is done