synesthesia

noun

syn·​es·​the·​sia ˌsi-nəs-ˈthē-zh(ē-)ə How to pronounce synesthesia (audio)
1
: a concomitant sensation
especially : a subjective sensation or image of a sense (as of color) other than the one (as of sound) being stimulated
2
: the condition marked by the experience of such sensations
synesthetic adjective

Examples of synesthesia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Instead, drawing on Rudy’s synesthesia, the film bursts to life in sequences where the surrounding environment — a nearby basketball game, kids playing jump rope, a lively game of checkers at the park — all become part of a symphony. Cat Cardenas, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024 Others have synesthesia and see colors or numbers decorating their perception. Shayla Love, Discover Magazine, 7 Dec. 2023 This opens the door to the idea that, to some extent, synesthesia can be learned. Mark Travers, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 The term dates back to the autism community in the 1990s, though it’s now applied to all sorts of mental differences — from ADHD to synesthesia. Shayla Love, Discover Magazine, 7 Dec. 2023 Some examples of the various kinds of synesthesia include: Grapheme-color. Mark Travers, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 According to the research, adults that engaged in an extensive training regime exhibited behavioral and physiological markers for grapheme-color synesthesia, challenging the notion that synesthesia is exclusively an inborn trait. Mark Travers, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 Strobes and a mirror ball added a touch of synesthesia. Jeremy Lybarger, The New Republic, 17 Oct. 2023 Like Nabokov, Harrison has grapheme-color synesthesia, a form in which numerals and letters become associated with colors, and this turns out to be especially useful in her work. Alex Halberstadt, New York Times, 4 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'synesthesia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from syn- + -esthesia (as in anesthesia)

First Known Use

circa 1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of synesthesia was circa 1891

Dictionary Entries Near synesthesia

Cite this Entry

“Synesthesia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synesthesia. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

synesthesia

noun
syn·​es·​the·​sia
variants or chiefly British synaesthesia
: a concomitant sensation and especially a subjective sensation or image of a sense (as of color) other than the one (as of sound) being stimulated
also : the condition marked by the experience of such sensations
synesthetic adjective
or chiefly British synaesthetic

More from Merriam-Webster on synesthesia

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