misophonia

American

[mees-oh-foh-nee-uh] / mis oʊˈfoʊ ni ə /

noun

Psychiatry. a condition characterized by extreme sensitivity and reactivity to specific, typically repetitive and relatively soft sounds, as breathing, chewing, swallowing, clicking, etc..

In patients with misophonia, an auditory stimulus provoked an immediate physical reaction, with anger, disgust, and sometimes even impulsive aggression.

Other Word Forms

misophonic adjective

Etymology

Origin of misophonia

miso- ( def. ) + Greek -phōnia ( -phony ( def. ) ); coined by audiologists Pawel J. and Margaret M. Jastreboff in 2001

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And another, with misophonia - she finds everyday noises overwhelming - says 4o could help regulate her by making her laugh.

From BBC

Lottie has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".

From BBC

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by other people.

From BBC

She says her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".

From BBC

Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023