synesthesia

American  

[sin-uhs-thee-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh] / ˌsɪn əsˈθi ʒə, -ʒi ə, -zi ə /

noun

1. 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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synesthesia British  

/ ˌsɪniːsˈθɛtɪk, ˌsɪniːsˈθiːzɪə /

noun

1. the usual US spelling of synaesthesia

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Other Word Forms

• nonsynesthetic adjective
• synesthete noun
• synesthetic adjective

Etymology

Origin of synesthesia

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

Example Sentences

“And then synesthesia would be … these rare individuals who experience additional sensations that sometimes happen to be across the senses, but most commonly sight,” Spence told Salon in a video interview.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2025

A further revelation came after intermission with an even more impressive concert performance of Bartók’s “Duke Bluebeard’s Castle” that demonstrated the radical difference between theater and synesthesia.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2024

You’ll notice the way synesthesia guides his pen, and you’ll pick up his themes of exile, wonder, the afterlife and the privacy and primacy of marriage.

From New York Times • Oct. 15, 2023

To demonstrate the capabilities of this synesthesia display, the research team presented two innovative applications.

From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2023

“Do you mean that everyone who has this synesthesia condition has all of these traits?” my mother asks, clearly skeptical.

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass