telepathy

American  

[tuh-lep-uh-thee] / təˈlɛp ə θi /

noun

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

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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

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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.)

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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

Explanation

That thing that happens when somehow you know in your head exactly what your brother wants for dinner even though he hasn’t said a word? That could be telepathy, communication that involves none of the known senses. Scientists can’t quite figure out if telepathy really is possible, but you can still use the word to describe those times when you seem to know what someone else is thinking. With telepathy, people communicate entirely in the mind without saying anything. If you walk into your favorite coffee shop and without a word the guy at the counter hands you your double latte, that could be telepathy. Or it could be you just order that all the time.

Example Sentences

The startup has implanted its Telepathy BCI in at least 21 patients with paralysis, allowing them to control phones, computers or robotic limbs with their thoughts.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

Musk said the product, Telepathy, would allow a person to control a phone or computer “just by thinking” and initially be for “those who have lost the use of their limbs.”

From New York Times • Jan. 30, 2024

Telepathy, he said, would enable "control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking".

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2024

“Concordance” appears alongside a rerelease of Howe’s much-admired 2014 book “Spontaneous Particulars: The Telepathy of Archives,” a critical book of complementary fascinations, scraps and glued-down tatters.

From New York Times • Jun. 8, 2020

As we have dwelt successively on various aspects of Telepathy we have gradually felt the conception enlarge and deepen under our study.

From Psychic Phenomena A Brief Account of the Physical Manifestations Observed in Psychical Research by Bennett, Edward T.