synesthesia

[ sin-uhs-thee-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh ]

/ ˌsɪn əsˈθi ʒə, -ʒi ə, -zi ə /

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noun

a sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality, as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the visualization of a certain color.

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Also synaesthesia.

Origin of synesthesia

First recorded in 1890–95; from New Latin; see origin at syn-, esthesia

OTHER WORDS FROM synesthesia

syn·es·thete

[sin-uhs-theet], /ˈsɪn əsˌθit/, nounsyn·es·thet·ic

[sin-uhs-thet-ik], /ˌsɪn əsˈθɛt ɪk/, adjectivenon·syn·es·thet·ic, adjective

Words nearby synesthesia

synergist, synergistic, synergistically, synergy, synesis, synesthesia, synfuel, synfuels, syngamy, syngas, Synge

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use synesthesia in a sentence

Now we know more, but many questions remain and synesthesia still carries an exotic aura.
The Beauty of Crossed Brain Wires - Issue 104: Harmony|Sidney Perkowitz|August 18, 2021|Nautilus
Fortunately the scientific study of synesthesia grew from the late 19th century into the 20th, mainly using interviews and group surveys.
The Beauty of Crossed Brain Wires - Issue 104: Harmony|Sidney Perkowitz|August 18, 2021|Nautilus
One problem was the difficulty of tracking the many forms of synesthesia.
The Beauty of Crossed Brain Wires - Issue 104: Harmony|Sidney Perkowitz|August 18, 2021|Nautilus
Artists who’ve reported extraordinary experiences of synesthesia range from 19th-century composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov to contemporary artist David Hockney to pop music star Lady Gaga.
The Beauty of Crossed Brain Wires - Issue 104: Harmony|Sidney Perkowitz|August 18, 2021|Nautilus

In the 1980s, however, new approaches made synesthesia amenable to more rigorous and objective study and research has blossomed, with about 1,000 new publications since 2000.
The Beauty of Crossed Brain Wires - Issue 104: Harmony|Sidney Perkowitz|August 18, 2021|Nautilus
Her first book, about synesthesia, titled Tasting the Universe, will be out in March 2011 from New Page Books.
Can Meditation Cure Disease?|Maureen Seaberg|December 25, 2010|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for synesthesia

synesthesia

/ (ˌsɪniːsˈθiːzɪə) /

noun

the usual US spelling of synaesthesia

Derived forms of synesthesia

synesthetic (ˌsɪniːsˈθɛtɪk), adjective

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