synesthesia
noun
syn·es·the·sia ˌsi-nəs-ˈthē-zh(ē-)ə 
1
: a concomitant sensation
especially : a subjective sensation or image of a sense (as of color) other than the one (as of sound) being stimulated
2
: the condition marked by the experience of such sensations
synesthetic
ˌsi-nəs-ˈthe-tik
adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The last time synesthesia made big cultural waves came a hundred years ago, when Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky courted sight from hearing. 
Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2022 His imagination is a comic synesthesia, assigning anthropomorphic traits to colors, objects, and design flaws. Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2020 Calendar synesthesia, seen in 1 to 2 percent of the population, may involve the neural circuitry the authors describe. Scientific American, 1 June 2020 While planning an episode about rapper YG and his sound mix engineer Derek Ali, the producers mapped out a story line involving synesthesia, a condition in which people sometimes experience sound by seeing colors. Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2020 While researching synesthesia—a brain quirk where different senses overlap to create colorful music or strange-tasting names—one of her subjects described an additional sensation in response to certain sounds: a tingle. Popular Science, 18 Dec. 2019 After letting synesthesia's existence settle in for a minute or two, Nars changes his mind. Devon Abelman, Allure, 23 July 2019 It was inspired by the condition synesthesia, which Kandinsky had. Jennifer Nalewicki, Smithsonian, 11 June 2019 Twenty years ago, beloved makeup artist François Nars created a color that people all over the world automatically connect with orgasms — no synesthesia necessary. Devon Abelman, Allure, 23 July 2019 See More
Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2022 His imagination is a comic synesthesia, assigning anthropomorphic traits to colors, objects, and design flaws. Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2020 Calendar synesthesia, seen in 1 to 2 percent of the population, may involve the neural circuitry the authors describe. Scientific American, 1 June 2020 While planning an episode about rapper YG and his sound mix engineer Derek Ali, the producers mapped out a story line involving synesthesia, a condition in which people sometimes experience sound by seeing colors. Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2020 While researching synesthesia—a brain quirk where different senses overlap to create colorful music or strange-tasting names—one of her subjects described an additional sensation in response to certain sounds: a tingle. Popular Science, 18 Dec. 2019 After letting synesthesia's existence settle in for a minute or two, Nars changes his mind. Devon Abelman, Allure, 23 July 2019 It was inspired by the condition synesthesia, which Kandinsky had. Jennifer Nalewicki, Smithsonian, 11 June 2019 Twenty years ago, beloved makeup artist François Nars created a color that people all over the world automatically connect with orgasms — no synesthesia necessary. Devon Abelman, Allure, 23 July 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from syn- + -esthesia (as in anesthesia)
First Known Use
circa 1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical Definition
synesthesia
noun
syn·es·the·sia
variants or chiefly British synaesthesia
ˌsin-əs-ˈthē-zh(ē-)ə
: a concomitant sensation and especially a subjective sensation or image of a sense (as of color) other than the one (as of sound) being stimulated
also : the condition marked by the experience of such sensations