aural
1 Americanadjective
adjective
adjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of aural1
First recorded in 1840–50; from Latin aur(is) “the ear” + -al 1
Origin of aural2
Explanation
If you have excellent aural abilities, it means that your ears work well. Aural means "pertaining to hearing." Some people learn well using their aural skills, which means they can hear something and remember it easily later. The root of the word aural is the Latin word meaning "pertaining to the ear," auris. It's easy to get aural confused with another word that sounds similar, oral, which means "pertaining to the mouth."
Vocabulary lists containing aural
The Bluest Eye
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
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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.
Her other superpower, coupled with this sheer speed, was what former employees describe as the aural equivalent of a photographic memory.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
Stone’s iPad, with its open sonic complexity, created a sense of space, a roomy aural soundscape in which jazz and butoh became elements not egos, not larger than life, just more life, the merrier.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025
At these times Mr. Jones seems to be aiming for pure onomatopoeia, a language that wholly reproduces the aural texture of rural life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025
She is a superb mimic of nature’s aural realm — the sounds of animals, of a river, of trees in the wind, of rocks falling down a hillside.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2025
As his career progressed, his music became more and more about aural effect and emotional manipulation.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
