Central vs. Center — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 1, 2023
Central is primarily an adjective meaning principal or pivotal; Center is a noun denoting the middle point or focal area of something.
Difference Between Central and Center
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Central, as an adjective, often describes something that is of primary importance or pivotal in nature. It might refer to an essential aspect of a system or a primary location in a broader area. Conversely, Center primarily functions as a noun, signifying the middle point or the main hub of an activity or location.
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Both Central and Center can describe a primary location, but they serve different grammatical functions and purposes. For instance, Central Park in New York City carries the adjective "Central" to imply its crucial location in the city. Meanwhile, the term "city center" uses "center" as a noun to pinpoint the core area of the city.
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In a figurative sense, Central can be used to discuss non-physical concepts, such as a central idea or a central theme in a story. Center, when used figuratively, could refer to the focal point of attention or discussion, as in "the center of controversy."
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From a linguistic angle, the word "central" originates from the Latin word "centralis," which means "relating to a center." In contrast, "center" derives from the Latin "centrum," meaning "a point equidistant from the ends." Despite their closely related origins, their usage in modern English has distinct nuances.
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Lastly, while both terms can sometimes be used interchangeably, context is crucial. Saying "the central of the room" would be grammatically incorrect, while "the center of the city" is appropriate and commonly used.
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Comparison Chart
Grammatical Role
Adjective
Noun
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Typical Usage
Describes importance or pivotal nature
Denotes the middle point or main hub
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Origin
From Latin "centralis"
From Latin "centrum"
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Figurative Use
Central idea, central theme
Center of attention, center of controversy
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Interchangeability
Can sometimes be used in place of "center"
Not always interchangeable with "central"
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Compare with Definitions
Central
Of primary importance.
The central goal of the project is sustainability.
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Center
The middle point of something.
Place the vase in the center of the table.
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Central
Located in the middle.
The central district is bustling with activity.
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Center
The focal point of attention or activity.
The scandal was the center of media attention.
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Central
Pivotal or crucial.
The central argument of his thesis was groundbreaking.
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Center
A point equidistant from the ends.
Mark the center of the board before cutting.
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Central
Principal or main.
The central station is the busiest in the city.
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Center
A political standpoint between left and right.
His views are more center than extreme.
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Central
At the point or in the area that is in the middle of something
Central London
The station has a central courtyard
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Center
A point or place that is equally distant from the sides or outer boundaries of something; the middle
The center of a stage.
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Central
Of the greatest importance; principal or essential
His preoccupation with history is central to his work
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Center
A point equidistant from the vertices of a regular polygon.
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Central
A place with a high concentration of a specified type of person or thing
You're in workaholic central here
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Center
A point equidistant from all points on the circumference of a circle or on the surface of a sphere.
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Central
Situated at, in, or near the center
The central states.
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Center
A point around which something rotates or revolves
The sun is the center of our solar system.
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Central
Forming the center.
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Center
A part of an object that is surrounded by the rest; a core
Chocolates with soft centers.
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Central
Having dominant or controlling power or influence
The company's central office.
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Center
A place where a particular activity or service is concentrated
A medical center.
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Central
Of basic importance; essential or principal
“Performance, including technological invention and artistic creation, will become central to education at all levels” (Frederick Turner).
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Center
A point of origin, as of influence, ideas, or actions
A center of power.
A center of unrest.
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Central
Easily reached from various points
A central location for the new store.
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Center
An area of dense population
A metropolitan center.
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Central
Of or constituting a single source controlling all components of a system
Central air conditioning.
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Center
A person or thing that is the chief object of attention, interest, activity, or emotion.
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Central
Of, relating to, or originating from the nervous system.
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Center
A person, object, or group occupying a middle position.
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Central
Relating to a centrum.
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Center
Often Center A political group or a set of policies representing a moderate view between those of the right and the left.
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Central
(Linguistics) Articulated in the middle of the oral cavity; neither front nor back. Used of vowels, as the u in cut.
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Center
(Physiology) A group of neurons in the central nervous system that control a particular function
The vasomotor center.
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Central
Holding to a moderate ideological position between two extremes.
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Center
(Sports) A player who holds a middle position on the field, court, or forward line in some team sports, such as hockey and basketball.
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Central
A telephone exchange.
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Center
(Football) An offensive lineman who snaps the ball to begin a play, usually positioned in the middle of the line.
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Central
An operator at a telephone exchange.
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Center
(Baseball) Center field.
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Central
A location or agency for the control or coordination of a group of related activities
Air command central.
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Center
A small conical hole made in a piece of work with a center punch so that a drill can be accurately positioned within it.
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Central
A place that is a notable site for a given activity
Their apartment was party central on weekends.
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Center
A bar with a conical point used to support work, as during turning on a lathe.
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Central
A place that is characterized by a high concentration of a given thing
On Saturdays, the zoo is toddler central.
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Center
A centering.
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Central
Being in the centre.
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Center
A point in space equidistant from all the points on an arch or on a portion of an arch.
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Central
Having or containing the centre of something.
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Center
To place in or at the center
Centered the vase on the table.
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Central
Being very important, or key to something.
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Center
To direct toward a center or central point; concentrate or focus
Tried to center the discussion on the main issues.
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Central
(anatomy) Exerting its action towards the peripheral organs.
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Center
To pass (a ball or puck) toward the center of a playing area.
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Central
Centre
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Center
To play as a center on (a line), as in ice hockey.
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Central
Relating to the center; situated in or near the center or middle; containing the center; of or pertaining to the parts near the center; equidistant or equally accessible from certain points.
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Center
(Football) To hike (the ball) to begin a down.
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Central
The central, or one of the central, bones of the carpus or or tarsus. In the tarsus of man it is represented by the navicular.
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Center
To be concentrated; cluster
The epidemic centered in the urban areas.
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Central
A workplace that serves as a telecommunications facility where lines from telephones can be connected together to permit communication
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Center
To have a central theme or concern; be focused
Her novels center on the problems of adolescence.
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Central
Serving as an essential component;
A cardinal rule
The central cause of the problem
An example that was fundamental to the argument
Computers are fundamental to modern industrial structure
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Center
(Sports) To play as a center.
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Central
In or near a center or constituting a center; the inner area;
A central position
Central heating and air conditioning
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Center
The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.
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Central
Used in the description of a place that in the middle of another place;
The people of Central and Northern Europe
Country in central Africa
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Center
The point in the interior of a sphere that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.
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Central
Centrally located and easy to reach;
The central city has good bus service
The shop has a central location
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Center
The middle portion of something; the part well away from the edges.
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Central
Relating to the nervous system.
The injury affected his central nervous system.
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Center
(obsolete) The innermost point of the Earth, or the Earth itself, as the center or foundation of the Universe; the center or foundation of the Universe abstractly.
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Center
(geometry) The point on a line that is midway between the ends.
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Center
(geometry) The point in the interior of any figure of any number of dimensions that has as its coordinates the arithmetic mean of the coordinates of all points on the perimeter of the figure (or of all points in the interior for a center of volume).
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Center
The subgroup (respectively, subring), denoted Z(G), of those elements of a given group (respectively, ring) G that commute with every element of G.
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Center
A place, especially a building or complex, set aside for some specified function or activity.
Shopping center, convention center, civic center, garment center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Rockefeller Center
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Center
(politics) The ensemble of moderate or centrist political parties.
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Center
The venue in which the head of government in a centralized state is situated.
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Center
A topic that is particularly important in a given context, the element in a subject of cognition, volition or discussion that is perceived as decisive.
The center of the controversy
The center of attention
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Center
(sports) A player in the middle of a playing area.
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Center
(basketball) The player, generally the tallest, who plays closest to the basket.
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Center
(ice hockey) The forward that generally plays between the left wing and right wing and usually takes the faceoffs.
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Center
The person who holds the ball at the beginning of each play.
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Center
(netball) A player who can go all over the court, except the shooting circles.
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Center
(soccer) A pass played into the centre of the pitch.
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Center
(rugby) One of the backs operating in a central area of the pitch, either the inside centre or outside centre.
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Center
A certain mechanical implement functioning in the middle of a whole apparatus
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Center
(architecture) A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position until the work becomes self-supporting.
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Center
(engineering) One of the two conical steel pins in a lathe, etc., upon which the work is held, and about which it revolves.
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Center
(engineering) A conical recess or indentation in the end of a shaft or other work, to receive the point of a center, on which the work can turn, as in a lathe.
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Center
The ring in the gambling game two-up in which the spinner operates.
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Center
Of, at, or related to a center.
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Center
(transitive) To cause (an object) to occupy the center of an area.
He centered the heading of the document.
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Center
(transitive) To cause (some attribute, such as a mood or voltage) to be adjusted to a value which is midway between the extremes.
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Center
(transitive) To give (something) a central basis.
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Center
(intransitive) To concentrate on (something), to pay close attention to (something).
The plot centers on the life of a working-class family.
The discussion centered around the recent issues.
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Center
(engineering) To form a recess or indentation for the reception of a center.
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Center
A point equally distant from the extremities of a line, figure, or body, or from all parts of the circumference of a circle; the middle point or place.
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Center
The middle or central portion of anything.
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Center
A principal or important point of concentration; the nucleus around which things are gathered or to which they tend; an object of attention, action, or force; as, a center of attaction.
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Center
The earth.
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Center
Those members of a legislative assembly (as in France) who support the existing government. They sit in the middle of the legislative chamber, opposite the presiding officer, between the conservatives or monarchists, who sit on the right of the speaker, and the radicals or advanced republicans who occupy the seats on his left, See Right, and Left.
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Center
A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position until the work becomes self-supporting.
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Center
One of the two conical steel pins, in a lathe, etc., upon which the work is held, and about which it revolves.
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Center
To be placed in a center; to be central.
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Center
To be collected to a point; to be concentrated; to rest on, or gather about, as a center.
Where there is no visible truth wherein to center, error is as wide as men's fancies.
Our hopes must center in ourselves alone.
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Center
To place or fix in the center or on a central point.
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Center
To collect to a point; to concentrate.
Thy joys are centered all in me alone.
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Center
To form a recess or indentation for the reception of a center.
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Center
An area that is approximately central within some larger region;
It is in the center of town
They ran forward into the heart of the struggle
They were in the eye of the storm
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Center
The piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher;
He hit the ball to deep center
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Center
A building dedicated to a particular activity;
They were raising money to build a new center for research
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Center
A point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
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Center
The choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience;
The gist of the prosecutor's argument
The heart and soul of the Republican Party
The nub of the story
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Center
The object upon which interest and attention focuses;
His stories made him the center of the party
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Center
A cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process;
In most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere
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Center
The middle of a military or naval formation;
They had to reinforce the center
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Center
(basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team
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Center
(football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback;
The center fumbled the handoff
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Center
A place where some particular activity is concentrated;
They received messages from several centers
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Center
Politically moderate persons; centrists
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Center
(ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team
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Center
The sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
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Center
Mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace;
A good plaza should have a movie house
They spent their weekends at the local malls
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Center
The position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game
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Center
The position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play;
It is a center's responsibility to get the football to the quarterback
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Center
A position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the center jump to start the game
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Center
Center upon;
Her entire attention centered on her children
Our day revolved around our work
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Center
Direct one's attention on something;
Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies
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Center
Move into the center;
That vase in the picture is not centered
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Center
Equally distant from the extremes
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Center
Of or belonging to the political or intellectual right
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Center
A place or facility dedicated to a specific activity.
The community center offers various classes.
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Common Curiosities
Can "Central" be used in a figurative sense?
Absolutely. It can describe non-physical concepts like a central idea or theme.
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Can "Center" describe a location?
Yes. "Center" often denotes the middle point or main hub of a location or activity.
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Can "Central" and "Center" be used interchangeably?
Not always. While they can sometimes replace each other, context is crucial for appropriate usage.
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How does "Central" relate to importance?
As an adjective, "Central" often describes something of primary importance or pivotal nature.
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Is "Central" always used as an adjective?
Primarily, yes. "Central" is mostly an adjective but can be a noun in specific contexts, like "Central" in "Central America."
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Is there a difference in the origin of the words?
Yes. "Central" comes from Latin "centralis," while "Center" derives from Latin "centrum."
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Which word is more versatile in English?
Both are versatile but in different ways. "Central" has diverse adjectival uses, while "Center" covers a broad range of noun-based contexts.
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Can "Center" have a political meaning?
Yes. "Center" can denote a political standpoint between left and right.
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Is "center" always a physical location?
No. "Center" can also denote a focal point of attention, as in "the center of a debate."
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What's an example of "Central" describing a location?
"Central Park" in New York City is an example.
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Can "Center" be an adjective?
It's primarily a noun, but can be used adjectivally in some contexts, like "center point."
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Can "Center" refer to a facility?
Yes, such as in "recreation center" or "shopping center."
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Is "city central" a correct usage?
Typically, "city center" is the preferred term.
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Can "Central" describe a part of a region?
Yes. For instance, "central Europe" refers to the core part of the European continent.
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Do both words have Latin origins?
Yes. "Central" comes from "centralis" and "Center" from "centrum."
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
