ASMR

American

abbreviation

autonomous sensory meridian response: a sensory phenomenon that occurs in response to low-volume audio stimuli, comprising a tingling sensation in the scalp, and sometimes including the neck or the back along the spine, along with a trancelike state of deep relaxation.

noun

a genre of audio or video recording featuring gentle whispers, crinkling paper, tapping fingers, or buzzing sounds that are intended to elicit a pleasurable or relaxing autonomous sensory meridian response.

I go to sleep every night listening to ASMR now.

Etymology

Origin of ASMR

First recorded in 2010–15; by abbreviation

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.

Kas Wellness may be rooted in ASMR, but the overall effect feels more robust: part high-end massage studio, part spa, part sound bath destination and part meditation center.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026

It is a kitchen of clicks and clacks, of ASMR, of packets ripped open and weekly restock hauls.

From Slate • Mar. 15, 2025

Obviously, your ASMR, quick-hit style is your trademark and something that tends to do so well on TikTok, but I was wondering if you had any ideas for diversifying the video style in the future?

From Salon • Oct. 9, 2024

These TikTok clips, along with YouTube videos and Tumblr threads dedicated to “things fitting perfectly into other things,” are part of the Internet phenomenon of material devoted to ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response.

From Washington Post • Mar. 17, 2022

Move over ASMR, egg peeling is taking over.

From Fox News • Jan. 8, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023