audiogram

American  

[aw-dee-uh-gram] / ˈɔ di əˌgræm /

noun

Medicine/Medical.

1. the graphic record produced by an audiometer.

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audiogram British  

/ ˈɔːdɪəʊˌɡræm /

noun

1. a graphic record of the acuity of hearing of a person obtained by means of an audiometer

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Etymology

Origin of audiogram

First recorded in 1925–30; audio- + -gram ¹

Explanation

If you ever get your hearing tested, you might be given an audiogram, a graph of how well you hear in the frequencies tested, as a souvenir. (Or, you know, as important medical information for your records.) Hearing specialists test people's hearing using an instrument called an audiometer, which produces an audiogram. This graph looks like a grid with X's and O's plotted on it: The X's are for the left ear; the O's are for the right ear. The x-axis of an audiogram represents frequency, how high or low a sound is. The y-axis represents intensity, or how loud a sound is. The audiogram is like a map of a person's hearing, and it is useful in detecting and treating hearing problems.

Example Sentences

My hearing had gotten worse, as shown on an audiogram filled with X’s, O’s and squiggles connecting them.

From Salon • Sep. 30, 2024

If you’ve got later-generation Apple or Beats headphones, Apple devices let you adjust sound levels using an audiogram, or hearing test.

From Washington Post • Sep. 23, 2022

Early this year I learned that I have a rare type of hearing loss called a cookie-bite, so named because the audiogram appears to show a chunk missing from mid-frequency sounds.

From Salon • May 21, 2022

Hearing tests are performed over a range of frequencies, usually from 250 to 8000 Hz, and can be displayed graphically in an audiogram like that in Figure 17.40.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

"Polaris unit reporting as ordered, sir," said Tom, handing over the audiogram order he had received the day before.

From On the Trail of the Space Pirates by Glanzman, Louis