auditory

[aw-di-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee-]

adjective

1. Anatomy, Physiology.,  pertaining to hearing, to the sense of hearing, or to the organs of hearing.

2. perceived through or resulting from the sense of hearing.

   auditory hallucinations.

noun

Archaic.

plural

auditories 

1. an assembly of hearers; audience.

2. an auditorium, especially the nave of a church.

auditory

/ ˈɔːdɪtərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

1. of or relating to hearing, the sense of hearing, or the organs of hearing

noun

1. an archaic word for audience auditorium

auditory

1. Relating to or involving the organs or sense of hearing.

Other Word Forms

• auditorily adverb
• auditorially adverb
• postauditory adjective
• preauditory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of auditory¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin audītōrius relating to hearing. See auditor, -tory ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of auditory¹

C14: from Latin audītōrius relating to hearing, from audīre to hear

Example Sentences

In first and second grade, to check their auditory memory, a child might be asked to remember and then repeat a sentence or list of items.

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How does feeling music as a physical experience, rather than a purely auditory one, create a different understanding of what percussion is capable of?

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"Closed captioning is not just a workaround; it's a method of preserving the integrity of both visual and auditory storytelling for diverse audiences," says Prof Alexander.

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Each room is meant to elicit a specific experience around urban planning and vegetation, and so each has its own visual and auditory scheme.

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Suddenly, he had a new research target: the meaning and mechanisms of control and its potential to transform auditory hallucinations from the distressing noise of psychosis into just another part of someone’s life.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• audible 
• aural