tinnitus
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of tinnitus
First recorded in 1685–95; from Latin tinnītus “a tinkling,” noun use of past participle of tinnīre “to tinkle,” of imitative origin
Explanation
Tinnitus is a ringing, buzzing, or booming in your ears. It could be caused by Meniere's disease or by an ear infection. Tinnitus involves not only a loss of hearing, but also the addition of sounds in your head. Most commonly, tinnitus consists of a ringing in the ear. You can have tinnitus in one or both ears, and tinnitus can be temporary or permanent. Many rock musicians have tinnitus because years of being near extremely loud speakers has damaged their hearing.
Vocabulary lists containing tinnitus
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 30–November 5, 2021
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for February 11–February 17, 2023
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 13–August 19, 2022
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was like "witnessing something that is literally out of a movie", said Johnson, adding it was a miracle he was unscathed except for "some really nasty tinnitus".
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
In certain individuals, spontaneous oto-acoustic emissions may be perceived as distressing tinnitus.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
The likelihood of developing hearing loss or tinnitus increases with age and exposure to loud noise.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
The goal is to make the tinnitus less distracting.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
The injury is followed by pain in the ear, often by considerable deafness and tinnitus, and bleeding is frequently observed.
From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Alexander Miles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
