definitions

word deafness

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noun Pathology.

inability to comprehend the meanings of words though they are heard, caused by lesions of the auditory center of the brain.

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Nearby words

word association, word association test, word blindness, word burst, word class, word deafness, word for word, word game, word of god, word of honor, word of mouth

Origin of word deafness

First recorded in 1885–90

Related forms

word-deaf, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for word deafness

British Dictionary definitions for word deafness

word deafness

noun

loss of ability to understand spoken words, esp as the result of a cerebral lesionAlso called: auditory aphasia

Derived Forms

word-deaf, 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

Medicine definitions for word deafness

word deafness

n.

Aphasia in which the meaning of ordinary spoken words becomes incomprehensible.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.