central
central — adjective
1. situated close to the middle of a space, or placed so that reaching it from vari
situated close to the middle of a space, or placed so that reaching it from various directions is convenient.
The hotel sits on a central street, a short walk from the main train station.
position: central + location noun (street, area, district)
Wen picked a central table in the restaurant so everyone could see the stage.
position: central + noun for object (table, room, point)
The central area of the park has a large fountain and benches for visitors.
Diego found an apartment in a central area with all the shops within walking distance.
用法筆記
Often used to describe the position of a building, room, or area within a city or space. The opposite is 'outlying' or 'remote'.
2. being the most important or essential part of something, serving as the main bas
being the most important or essential part of something, serving as the main basis for an idea, system, or argument.
Trust is a central part of any strong friendship between two people.
pattern: central + part / element / issue / theme
The central argument of the article is that education must be free for everyone.
Reducing waste became a central goal for the company after the new director arrived.
A central theme of the film is the struggle between personal freedom and family duty.
- main
more general and slightly less formal; 'central' emphasises the core function more strongly
- key
similar intensity, often used in problem-solving contexts ('key factor', 'key element')
- principal
more formal; often used in official or financial contexts
- core
suggests the very centre of something; slightly more emphatic than 'central'
- peripheral
describes something of minor or secondary importance
- secondary
less important, not the main focus
用法筆記
Frequently used with abstract nouns: central issue, central question, central role, central theme. It is stronger than 'important' — implies that without this element, the whole thing would not work or make sense.
常見錯誤
3. relating to the main office or group that controls or directs smaller units with
relating to the main office or group that controls or directs smaller units within the same system, such as branches, local teams, or affiliated organisations.
The central office sends new policy updates to all branch managers every quarter.
collocation: central office / central bank / central committee
Leila's application was reviewed by the central committee before the final decision was made.
The central bank lowered interest rates to help small businesses borrow more easily.
All hiring decisions must be approved by the central human resources department in Taipei.
用法筆記
Only used before a noun ('attributive position'). You cannot say 'The office is central' with this meaning — that would be sense 1 (NEAR THE MIDDLE). The noun that follows is typically an organisational unit: office, government, bank, committee, authority.
常見錯誤
central — noun
1. a former local government area in central Scotland that existed from 1975 to 199
a former local government area in central Scotland that existed from 1975 to 1996, after which it was divided into smaller council areas.
Central was one of nine regions created in Scotland during the local government reorganisation of 1975.
proper noun; refers to a historical administrative area
Stirling served as the main administrative centre of the Central region until its dissolution in 1996.
Maps from the 1980s show Central as a separate area covering Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire.
The Central region included the town of Falkirk before the 1996 reorganisation.
用法筆記
Always capitalised as a proper noun when referring to this historical region. In modern contexts, write 'the Central region' or simply 'Central'. This sense is mainly encountered in historical or geographical writing about Scotland.