word deafness

noun Pathology.

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

Origin of word deafness

First recorded in 1885–90

Related formsword-deaf, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for word deafness

Historical Examples of word deafness

The higher impressive central paths are disturbed: centro-sensory dysphasia and aphasia, or word-deafness.
The Mind of the Child, Part II
W. Preyer

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 Formsword-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

word deafness in Medicine

word deafness

n.

Aphasia in which the meaning of ordinary spoken words becomes incomprehensible.