gray matter

noun

1

: neural tissue especially of the brain and spinal cord that contains nerve-cell bodies as well as nerve fibers and has a brownish-gray color

2

: brains, intellect

Synonyms

• brain(s)
• brainpower
• headpiece
• intellect
• intellectuality
• intelligence
• mentality
• reason
• sense
• smarts

Examples of gray matter in a Sentence

she's got the gray matter to figure that equation out

Recent Examples on the Web

Our gray matter performs a bewildering mashup of overlapping functions, some widely distributed across the brain, others more localized. —George Musser, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2024

In particular, loss of gray matter in the brain has been associated with dementia and mental health issues such as depression. —Lauryn Higgins, Health, 16 Apr. 2024

Researchers have seen neuroplastic change during the life span in both the white and gray matter that form brain tissue. —Hilary A. Diefenbach, Discover Magazine, 20 Nov. 2023

In adults with mild hearing loss, studies show a decrease in gray matter. —Lydia Denworth, Scientific American, 15 Aug. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

gray matter

noun

1

: nerve tissue especially of the brain and spinal cord that has a brownish gray color

2

: intelligence sense 1

Medical Definition

gray matter

noun

: neural tissue especially of the brain and spinal cord that contains cell bodies as well as nerve fibers, has a brownish gray color, and forms most of the cortex and nuclei of the brain, the columns of the spinal cord, and the bodies of ganglia

called also gray substance