Although it has been reported in a few instances that the spectroscopic properties of cyanine dyes were strongly dependent on the nature of the chemical substitution of their central carbon atom, there has not been to date any systematic study specifically aimed at rationalizing this behavior. In this article, such a systematic study is carried out on an extended family of 17 polymethine dyes carrying different substituents on their central carbon, some of those being specifically synthesized for this study, some of those similar to previously reported compounds, for the sake of comparison. Their absorption properties, which spread over the whole visible to near-infrared spectral range, are seen to be dramatically dependent on the electron-donating character of this central substituent. By correlating this behavior to NMR spectroscopy and (vibronic) TD-DFT calculations, we show that it results from a profound modification of the ground state electronic configuration, namely, a progressive localization of the cationic charge on the central carbon as the electron-donating nature of the central substituent is increased.