mutism
an inability to speak, due to a physical defect, conscious refusal, or psychogenic inhibition.
Origin of mutism
1Words Nearby mutism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use mutism in a sentence
In fact we are tempted to jump at the conclusion that consanguinity is in itself a cause of deaf-mutism.
Consanguineous Marriages in the American Population | George B. Louis ArnerDumb walls merely, their mutism leaves large scope to imagination, and one may conjecture any but the right thing.
The Mayas, the Sources of Their History / Dr. Le Plongeon in Yucatan, His Account of Discoveries | Stephen Salisbury, Jr.Even if the patient recovers, whether as the result of operation or not, deaf-mutism or mental deficiency frequently occurs.
A very complete family history showing deaf-mutism is given in Fig. 21.
The Social Direction of Evolution | William E. KellicottCousin Primitivo himself, with all the wisdom of the ancients, could not draw him out of his mutism.
An Eagle Flight | Jos Rizal
British Dictionary definitions for mutism
/ (ˈmjuːtɪzəm) /
the state of being mute
psychiatry
a refusal to speak although the mechanism of speech is not damaged
the lack of development of speech, due usually to early deafness
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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