telephonic

American  

[tel-uh-fon-ik] / ˌtɛl əˈfɒn ɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or happening by means of a telephone system.

2. carrying sound to a distance by artificial means.

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Other Word Forms

• nontelephonic adjective
• nontelephonically adverb
• pretelephonic adjective
• telephonically adverb

Etymology

Origin of telephonic

First recorded in 1825–35; tele- ¹ + -phone + -ic

Example Sentences

Earshot said the leaked recording was likely to have been taken in a room with the phone call played back on a speaker, due to the presence of distinctive telephonic frequencies and background sounds.

From BBC • Jul. 8, 2025

Reedy said he learned during a telephonic hearing that there would be no charges against him or De León.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2023

FTC attorney James Weingarten, speaking in a brief telephonic pretrial hearing, said there were no "substantive" settlement discussions between the two sides under way.

From Reuters • Jan. 3, 2023

The Secret Service has a policy requiring employees to back up and store government communications when they retire old electronic or telephonic devices, but in practice, staff do not consistently back up texts from phones.

From Washington Post • Jul. 14, 2022

Hence, practically the moment Kyril Montana’s unmarked Galaxie cruised unobtrusively into Milagro, it appeared on the town’s telephonic radar screen, and its progress was tracked with interest by many of the town’s inhabitants.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols