neurological

neurological — adjective

1. connected to the nerves that send messages through the body, or to the brain and

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

connected to the nerves that send messages through the body, or to the brain and spinal cord that control movement, feeling, and thinking

Example

Yara's grandmother was taken to a neurological hospital after the stroke.

attributive use: neurological + hospital / department

The doctors ran several neurological tests to check Min's memory and balance.

Common collocations
  • neurological disorder
  • neurological disease
  • neurological damage
  • neurological examination
  • neurological symptoms
  • neurological condition
  • neurological hospital
  • neurological research
  • neurological tests
Synonyms
  • neural

    more specific — refers to individual nerve cells or neurons rather than the whole nervous system

  • nervous system

    a noun phrase used descriptively (e.g. 'nervous system disorder') rather than a true adjective

Grammar Patterns

neurological + noun

Usage Note

Most common in attributive position (before a noun). In predicative position — for example, 'The damage was neurological' — it is less frequent and often contrasts a neurological cause with another type.

Common Mistakes

She has a neural disorder.
She has a neurological disorder.
'neural' refers specifically to nerve cells; 'neurological' is the broader term for conditions of the whole nervous system.
The doctor ordered a neurology test.
The doctor ordered a neurological test.
the adjective form 'neurological' is needed before a noun, not the noun 'neurology'.

Word family

  • neurology
    nounB2
  • neurologist
    nounB2
  • neurologically
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These three terms all relate to the body's nerve system but differ in scope. 'Neurological' is the broadest — it describes anything connected to the nerves, brain, and spinal cord as a whole system, and is the standard adjective for medical conditions, tests, and treatments (e.g. a neurological disorder, neurological examination). 'Neural' is narrower: it refers specifically to individual nerve cells (neurons) and their connections, and is most common in biology and computer science (e.g. neural pathway, neural network). 'Nervous' is a general everyday word that can mean 'related to the nerves' in a loose sense (e.g. nervous system, nervous tension), but is more often used for the emotion of being worried or anxious. Use 'neurological' when you need a precise, formal medical term for conditions of the whole nervous system.

neurological ↗neural ↗nervous ↗

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

'Neurological' comes from the Greek word 'neuron' (meaning 'nerve' or 'sinew'), combined with '-logical' (meaning 'relating to the study of'). It entered English through medical Latin and French in the 17th–18th centuries, as doctors began to study the nervous system as a separate branch of medicine.