telepathy

American  

[tuh-lep-uh-thee] / təˈlɛp ə θi /

noun

1. communication between minds by some means other than sensory perception.

---

telepathy British  

/ tɪˈlɛpəθɪ, ˌtɛlɪˈpæθɪk /

noun

1. Also called: thought transference.  psychol the communication between people of thoughts, feelings, desires, etc, involving mechanisms that cannot be understood in terms of known scientific laws Compare telegnosis clairvoyance

---

telepathy Cultural  

1. Knowledge conveyed from one individual to another without means of the five senses; mind reading. (See also extrasensory perception, parapsychology, and psychic research.)

---

Other Word Forms

• nontelepathic adjective
• nontelepathically adverb
• telepathic adjective
• telepathically adverb
• telepathist noun

Etymology

Origin of telepathy

First recorded in 1880–85; tele- ¹ + -pathy

Compare meaning

How does telepathy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• telepathy vs. telekinesis

Example Sentences

It’s silent, and also a weird form of telepathy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 4, 2025

Lee is fascinated by the plant, specifically the rumblings he’s heard that it can be used for telepathy.

From Salon • Nov. 27, 2024

The actors bonded instantly and had “an almost telepathy by the end of the shoot,” Zetumer said.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2024

Mork uses telepathy to summon characters’ memories, in the form of scenes from the sitcom’s first five years.

From New York Times • Jan. 15, 2024

It is telepathy through the NeuroLink, the next evolution of messaging, an intimate, secret bond linking us together.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu