auricular
adjective
au·ric·u·lar
ȯ-ˈri-kyə-lər 
1
: told privately
an auricular confession
2
: understood or recognized by the sense of hearing
3
: of, relating to, or using the ear or the sense of hearing
auricular therapy
4
: of or relating to an auricle
auricular tachycardia
Examples of auricular in a Sentence
had auricular proof that the sun was up, as the birds began chirping
Recent Examples on the Web
It can be delivered using a device that sits on the ear and sends an electrical pulse to the auricular branch of the vagus nerve, which is found under the skin in the magenta area in the diagram below.
—
Paul McClure 22, New Atlas, 22 May 2025
While everyone has auricular muscles, only a small number of people can consciously flex these muscles to wiggle their ears.
—Clarissa Brincat, Popular Science, 27 Feb. 2025
Each muscle is responsible for a different movement: the anterior auricular muscle pulls the ear forward, the superior auricular muscle lifts it slightly, and the posterior auricular muscle pulls it backward.
—Clarissa Brincat, Popular Science, 27 Feb. 2025
Although evidence is mixed, researchers found stimulating points in the outer ear—auricular acupuncture—to help with quitting smoking when combined with other methods.13
Mindfulness: Another method that may help people quit tobacco is mindfulness.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 26 Sep. 2024
Some people can control their auricular muscles to move the ear slightly but to a noticeable extent, an ability that seems to have a genetic basis.
—C. Claiborne Ray, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2017
A 2015 study in the journal Psychophysiology reviewed past research on the auricular nerves and found indications that the system could have been adapted to respond to sounds.
—C. Claiborne Ray, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2017
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Paul McClure 22, New Atlas, 22 May 2025
While everyone has auricular muscles, only a small number of people can consciously flex these muscles to wiggle their ears.
—Clarissa Brincat, Popular Science, 27 Feb. 2025
Each muscle is responsible for a different movement: the anterior auricular muscle pulls the ear forward, the superior auricular muscle lifts it slightly, and the posterior auricular muscle pulls it backward.
—Clarissa Brincat, Popular Science, 27 Feb. 2025
Although evidence is mixed, researchers found stimulating points in the outer ear—auricular acupuncture—to help with quitting smoking when combined with other methods.13
Mindfulness: Another method that may help people quit tobacco is mindfulness.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 26 Sep. 2024
Some people can control their auricular muscles to move the ear slightly but to a noticeable extent, an ability that seems to have a genetic basis.
—C. Claiborne Ray, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2017
A 2015 study in the journal Psychophysiology reviewed past research on the auricular nerves and found indications that the system could have been adapted to respond to sounds.
—C. Claiborne Ray, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Auricular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auricular. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
auricular
adjective
au·ric·u·lar
ȯ-ˈrik-yə-lər
1
: of or relating to the ear or the sense of hearing
2
: told privately
auricular confession
3
: learned or recognized through the sense of hearing
4
: of or relating to an auricle
Medical Definition
auricular
adjective
au·ric·u·lar
ȯ-ˈrik-yə-lər
1
: of, relating to, or using the ear or the sense of hearing
2
: understood or recognized by the sense of hearing
3
: of or relating to an auricle or auricular appendage
auricular fibrillation
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