auditory

1 of 2

noun

au·​di·​to·​ry ˈȯ-də-ˌtȯr-ē 

1

archaic : audience

2

archaic : auditorium

auditory

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or experienced through hearing

auditory stimuli

auditorily

ˌȯ-də-ˈtȯr-ə-lē 

adverb

Did you know?

Auditory is close in meaning to acoustic and acoustical, but auditory usually refers more to hearing than to sound. For instance, many dogs have great auditory (not acoustic) powers, and the auditory nerve lets us hear by connecting the inner ear to the brain. Acoustic and acoustical instead refer especially to instruments and the conditions under which sound can be heard; so architects concern themselves with the acoustic properties of an auditorium, and instrument makers with those of a clarinet or piano.

Synonyms

Adjective

• acoustic
• acoustical
• audial
• audile
• aural
• auricular

Examples of auditory in a Sentence

Adjective

The patient has damage to the auditory nerve.

I have a bad auditory memory—unless I see a word in writing, and not just hear it, I forget it easily.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While scholars have lauded the visual qualities of the basilica style, few have explored the auditory. —Lynn Whidden, Scientific American, 26 July 2024

Visual albums, installation art, video games, and TikToks routinely blend the auditory, the visual, the narrative, and the poetic—sometimes spectacularly, quite often unsatisfyingly. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 16 Feb. 2024

Adjective

The auditory processing issues associated with his stroke also seemed to diminish, and Mr. Fetterman began to casually converse with people without having to rely on audio transcription. —Annie Karni, New York Times, 2 May 2025

Finding it in this brain region, which is associated with the formation of auditory and visual memories, could explain why the temporal lobe is particularly affected early in the disease's progression. —New Atlas, 1 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English auditorie, borrowed from Latin audītōrium "hall, body of listeners" — more at auditorium

Adjective

borrowed from Late Latin audītōrius, from audīre "to hear" + -tōrius, deverbal adjective suffix originally forming derivatives from agent nouns ending in -tōr-, -tor — more at audible entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1578, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing auditory

• auditory nerve
• auditory tube

Rhymes for auditory

• allegory
• amatory
• category
• clerestory
• crematory
• desultory
• dilatory
• dormitory
• excretory
• extempore
• feudatory
• gustatory

Kids Definition

auditory

adjective

au·​di·​to·​ry

ˈȯd-ə-ˌtōr-ē,

-ˌtȯr-

: of or relating to hearing or to the sense or organs of hearing

Medical Definition

auditory

1 of 2 adjective

au·​di·​to·​ry ˈȯd-ə-ˌtōr-ē, -ˌtȯr- 

1

: of or relating to hearing

2

: attained, experienced, or produced through or as if through hearing

auditory images

auditory hallucinations

3

: marked by great susceptibility to impressions and reactions produced by acoustic stimuli

an auditory individual

auditory

2 of 2 noun

plural auditories

: auditory nerve