hi-fi

[hahy-fahy]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hi-fi ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

high fidelity.

a phonograph, radio, or other sound-reproducing apparatus possessing high fidelity.

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of such apparatus; high-fidelity.

Origin of hi-fi

1945–50, Americanism; shortened form of high fidelity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hi-fi

Contemporary Examples of hi-fi

But there's more to the businessman than just his love of hi-fi, as Jacob Bernstein reports.
Newsweek's New Owner: The 92-Year-Old Wunderkind
Jacob Bernstein
August 4, 2010

Historical Examples of hi-fi

The players were projectors of full-color, hi-fi sound, tri-di pictures.
Masters of Space
Edward Elmer Smith
He punched a button on the chair and the 600-dollar hi-fi selected a random tape.
The Syndic
C.M. Kornbluth
I played some hi-fi records, things she liked, until she fell asleep.
The Trial of Callista Blake
Edgar Pangborn
"That's what I thought," I said, getting up to switch on the hi-fi.
The Right Time
Walter Bupp
Just to keep the mood the same, I turned on my hi-fi and drew the loveseat up in front of the desk in my study.
The Right Time
Walter Bupp

British Dictionary definitions for hi-fi

hi-fi

noun informal

short for high fidelity
(as modifier)hi-fi equipment

a set of high-quality sound-reproducing equipment

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hi-fi

adj.

1947, abbreviation of high fidelity (1934), of radio recievers, in reference to their quality of sound reproduction. Hi as an advertiser's phonetic shortening of high is attested by 1914.