brains
6 synonyms and 0 antonyms for brains, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — Mental ability or intelligence.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use brains
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Frequently asked questions
What does “brains” mean?
The word “brains” means mental ability or intelligence. In plain terms, cleverness, or the clever person driving a plan.
How do you pronounce “brains”?
“Brains” is pronounced braynz (/bɹeɪnz/ in IPA).
How do you use “brains” in a sentence?
Here is “brains” used in a sentence: “It took real brains to solve that puzzle so fast.”
What part of speech is “brains”?
“Brains” is a noun.
Is “brains” a common word?
“Brains” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “brains” have?
“Brains” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: mental ability or intelligence.
Is brains singular or plural?
Brains is plural in form, and in the sense of intelligence it behaves like a plural noun: 'use your brains.' But when it means the person behind the ideas and planning, it names a single individual despite the plural form: 'he is the brains of the outfit.' Both patterns are standard English.
What is the difference between brains and brawn?
Brains stands for mental ability and intelligence; brawn stands for physical strength. The pairing is proverbial — 'brains over brawn' argues that cleverness beats muscle, and 'the brains and the brawn' divides a team into its thinker and its strongman. Someone described as 'all brawn and no brains' is strong but slow-witted.