Central vs. Center: What's the Difference?
Edited by Aimie Carlson || By Janet White || Published on October 23, 2023
Central refers to being of primary importance or located in the middle, while Center is a specific point or place regarded as the middle.
Key Differences
Central and Center are two words that, while closely related, have different nuances. Central generally connotes importance or relevance. For example, a "central idea" is one that is pivotal or crucial to a given topic. Center, on the other hand, generally refers to a physical or metaphorical middle point. The "center of the city" or "center of attention" both refer to focal points or middles.
In the realm of positioning, Central implies being situated in the middle of something or equidistant from its sides. Central Park in New York, for instance, is positioned in the middle of Manhattan. Center, however, is more about being the actual core or hub of an area or topic. A shopping center is a hub of retail activity, and the center of a circle is its exact middle point.
From a grammatical standpoint, Central is often used as an adjective. For instance, when we say "central heating," we are describing a type of heating system. Center can be both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it can mean a point or area of focus, and as a verb, it means to place or fix in the middle.
Another distinguishing factor between Central and Center is the notion of influence or control. Something central might not only be at the heart but also pivotal or primary. The central government, for example, has principal authority. Center, conversely, may not always imply control but does imply a focal point, such as a help center where assistance is provided.
Both Central and Center have their origins in the idea of the "middle," but their modern applications in English have branched out, giving each word its own set of distinct, though sometimes overlapping, meanings.
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Comparison Chart
Part of Speech
Adjective
Primarily a noun, but can also be a verb
Implied Meaning
Importance or positioning in the middle
A specific point or place in the middle
Usage Example
Central theme
Town center
Associated Ideas
Primacy, relevance, positioning
Focal point, hub, exact middle
Metaphorical Use
Central to the argument
The center of attention
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Central and Center Definitions
Central
Located in the middle.
The central square was bustling with activity.
Center
The middle point of something.
The apple's core is its center.
Central
Equidistant from all sides.
He lived in a house central to all amenities.
Center
To position something in the middle.
Center the picture on the wall.
Central
Of primary importance.
The central point of the lecture was lost on many attendees.
Center
A point or place that is equally distant from the sides or outer boundaries of something; the middle
The center of a stage.
Central
Holding principal authority.
The central government issued new mandates.
Center
A point equidistant from the vertices of a regular polygon.
Central
Situated at, in, or near the center
The central states.
Center
A point equidistant from all points on the circumference of a circle or on the surface of a sphere.
Central
Forming the center.
Center
A point around which something rotates or revolves
The sun is the center of our solar system.
Central
Having dominant or controlling power or influence
The company's central office.
Center
A part of an object that is surrounded by the rest; a core
Chocolates with soft centers.
Central
Of basic importance; essential or principal
“Performance, including technological invention and artistic creation, will become central to education at all levels” (Frederick Turner).
Center
A place where a particular activity or service is concentrated
A medical center.
Central
Easily reached from various points
A central location for the new store.
Center
A point of origin, as of influence, ideas, or actions
A center of power.
A center of unrest.
Central
Of or constituting a single source controlling all components of a system
Central air conditioning.
Center
An area of dense population
A metropolitan center.
Central
Of, relating to, or originating from the nervous system.
Center
A person or thing that is the chief object of attention, interest, activity, or emotion.
Central
Relating to a centrum.
Center
A person, object, or group occupying a middle position.
Central
(Linguistics) Articulated in the middle of the oral cavity; neither front nor back. Used of vowels, as the u in cut.
Center
Often Center A political group or a set of policies representing a moderate view between those of the right and the left.
Central
Holding to a moderate ideological position between two extremes.
Center
(Physiology) A group of neurons in the central nervous system that control a particular function
The vasomotor center.
Central
A telephone exchange.
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.
Central
An operator at a telephone exchange.
Center
(Football) An offensive lineman who snaps the ball to begin a play, usually positioned in the middle of the line.
Central
A location or agency for the control or coordination of a group of related activities
Air command central.
Center
(Baseball) Center field.
Central
A place that is a notable site for a given activity
Their apartment was party central on weekends.
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.
Central
A place that is characterized by a high concentration of a given thing
On Saturdays, the zoo is toddler central.
Center
A bar with a conical point used to support work, as during turning on a lathe.
Central
Being in the centre.
Center
A centering.
Central
Having or containing the centre of something.
Center
A point in space equidistant from all the points on an arch or on a portion of an arch.
Central
Being very important, or key to something.
Center
To place in or at the center
Centered the vase on the table.
Central
(anatomy) Exerting its action towards the peripheral organs.
Center
To direct toward a center or central point; concentrate or focus
Tried to center the discussion on the main issues.
Central
Centre
Center
To pass (a ball or puck) toward the center of a playing area.
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.
Center
To play as a center on (a line), as in ice hockey.
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.
Center
(Football) To hike (the ball) to begin a down.
Central
A workplace that serves as a telecommunications facility where lines from telephones can be connected together to permit communication
Center
To be concentrated; cluster
The epidemic centered in the urban areas.
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
Center
To have a central theme or concern; be focused
Her novels center on the problems of adolescence.
Central
In or near a center or constituting a center; the inner area;
A central position
Central heating and air conditioning
Center
(Sports) To play as a center.
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
Center
The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.
Central
Centrally located and easy to reach;
The central city has good bus service
The shop has a central location
Center
The point in the interior of a sphere that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.
Central
Fundamental, pivotal.
Teamwork is central to our company’s philosophy.
Center
The middle portion of something; the part well away from the edges.
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.
Center
(geometry) The point on a line that is midway between the ends.
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).
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.
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
Center
(politics) The ensemble of moderate or centrist political parties.
Center
The venue in which the head of government in a centralized state is situated.
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
Center
(sports) A player in the middle of a playing area.
Center
(basketball) The player, generally the tallest, who plays closest to the basket.
Center
(ice hockey) The forward that generally plays between the left wing and right wing and usually takes the faceoffs.
Center
The person who holds the ball at the beginning of each play.
Center
(netball) A player who can go all over the court, except the shooting circles.
Center
(soccer) A pass played into the centre of the pitch.
Center
(rugby) One of the backs operating in a central area of the pitch, either the inside centre or outside centre.
Center
A certain mechanical implement functioning in the middle of a whole apparatus
Center
(architecture) A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position until the work becomes self-supporting.
Center
(engineering) One of the two conical steel pins in a lathe, etc., upon which the work is held, and about which it revolves.
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.
Center
The ring in the gambling game two-up in which the spinner operates.
Center
Of, at, or related to a center.
Center
(transitive) To cause (an object) to occupy the center of an area.
He centered the heading of the document.
Center
(transitive) To cause (some attribute, such as a mood or voltage) to be adjusted to a value which is midway between the extremes.
Center
(transitive) To give (something) a central basis.
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.
Center
(engineering) To form a recess or indentation for the reception of a center.
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.
Center
The middle or central portion of anything.
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.
Center
The earth.
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.
Center
A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position until the work becomes self-supporting.
Center
One of the two conical steel pins, in a lathe, etc., upon which the work is held, and about which it revolves.
Center
To be placed in a center; to be central.
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.
Center
To place or fix in the center or on a central point.
Center
To collect to a point; to concentrate.
Thy joys are centered all in me alone.
Center
To form a recess or indentation for the reception of a center.
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
Center
The piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher;
He hit the ball to deep center
Center
A building dedicated to a particular activity;
They were raising money to build a new center for research
Center
A point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
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
Center
The object upon which interest and attention focuses;
His stories made him the center of the party
Center
A cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process;
In most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere
Center
The middle of a military or naval formation;
They had to reinforce the center
Center
(basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team
Center
(football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback;
The center fumbled the handoff
Center
A place where some particular activity is concentrated;
They received messages from several centers
Center
Politically moderate persons; centrists
Center
(ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team
Center
The sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
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
Center
The position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game
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
Center
A position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the center jump to start the game
Center
Center upon;
Her entire attention centered on her children
Our day revolved around our work
Center
Direct one's attention on something;
Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies
Center
Move into the center;
That vase in the picture is not centered
Center
Equally distant from the extremes
Center
Of or belonging to the political or intellectual right
Center
A place or group of buildings where particular activities are concentrated.
She went to the shopping center.
Center
A point from which an activity or process is directed.
This city is a center for the tech industry.
Center
A point of focus or attention.
She was the center of attention at the party.
FAQs
Does Central always refer to geography?
No, it can refer to importance, like a "central idea."
Which one denotes importance: Central or Center?
Central often implies importance, while Center denotes a middle point.
Is Center always about a physical location?
No, it can be metaphorical, like being "the center of attention."
Can Central be used as a noun?
Rarely, but it's predominantly an adjective.
Can Center be used as a verb?
Yes, for example, "center the image on the page."
What's the opposite of Central?
Peripheral or outer can be opposites, depending on context.
Is "centralize" related to Central?
Yes, it's a verb meaning to bring things to a central point or under central control.
Is Central Park in NYC at the exact center of the city?
No, but it's centrally located in Manhattan.
Can an object or idea be "centered"?
Yes, it can be made central or focused upon.
Can a city have multiple centers?
Yes, like business centers, cultural centers, etc.
Can a person be described as Central?
Yes, if they are of primary importance or focus in a context.
Which is a higher authority: central government or state government?
Central government usually holds principal authority.
Is there a connection between Central and centralization?
Yes, centralization is the process of making something central.
Can a person be a center?
Not literally, but one can be "the center of attention."
Can you "center" yourself?
Yes, in a figurative sense, it means to find balance or calm.
Is a centerpiece always at the center?
Typically yes, as it's an item placed at the middle of something, like a table.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
