dyslexic
Americanadjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of dyslexic
First recorded in 1960–65; dyslex(ia) + -ic
Explanation
If you're dyslexic, you have a learning disability that makes it particularly hard for you to read, write, and spell. Someone who's dyslexic suffers from dyslexia, in which the brain has trouble translating images into language. Many think that dyslexic people simply transpose letters and numbers — reading 1234 as 4321 or mistaking b for d — but the symptoms are usually broader than this. To a dyslexic person, letters and numbers may jump around on the page, or the person might have trouble connecting letters to the sounds they make. The word dyslexic comes from the Greek roots dys, meaning bad, and lexis, meaning word.
Vocabulary lists containing dyslexic
Freak the Mighty
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A Very Large Expanse of Sea
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: dys
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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.
As a child, I was severely dyslexic and developed a stutter.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025
“I’m not proud of having a poor education. I’m not proud of being dyslexic and having attention deficit disorder,” he says, pausing to request some sweetener to stir into this tea.
From Salon • Jul. 24, 2025
The billionaire financier who transformed Dole into the world’s largest producer of fruits and vegetables was a dyslexic high school dropout who made and lost a fortune by the time he was 40.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2025
Robert, who describes himself with a smile as "massively dyslexic", explains he has only played the original Scrabble once before.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2024
Being dyslexic is one mark of a demigod, but sometimes I really hate it.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
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.
