autistic savant
noun
: a person affected with autism who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in some limited field (such as mathematics or music)
She is not just autistic but an autistic savant, meaning that she has unusual cognitive abilities, such as a photographic memory and excellent spatial skills.—
Kat McGowan
Kat McGowan
Examples of autistic savant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Tammet refers to himself as an autistic savant.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2022
Dean was an autistic savant.
—Sara Luterman, The New Republic, 12 Feb. 2021
Dustin Hoffman won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Raymond Babbitt, an autistic savant brought on a cross country road trip during his brother’s bid to grab a piece of their father’s fortune.
—cleveland, 11 June 2022
Charlie is a selfish schemer who only finds out about Raymond, after his estranged father dies and leaves all of his fortune, except the Roadmaster, to Raymond, an autistic savant.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 18 Jan. 2022
The Good Doctor, ABC’s medical drama about an autistic savant who works as a surgical resident, premiered that September and became an instant hit.
—Sarah Kurchak, Time, 16 July 2021
But Kayla Cromer and Maeve Press are just as charming as the sisters — one of whom is a high-functioning autistic savant, and the other of whom is a misfit teen struggling to fit in with her classmates.
—Noel Murray, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2020
Denzel Washington is wonderfully cast against type as the title character, an autistic savant with a radical streak.
—Chris Ball, cleveland.com, 16 Feb. 2018
Alexander is what’s know as an autistic savant, with perfect pitch, a near-photographic memory for music and a surprising facility with the saxophone and piano.
—Pam Kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, 26 Jan. 2018
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Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2022
Dean was an autistic savant.
—Sara Luterman, The New Republic, 12 Feb. 2021
Dustin Hoffman won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Raymond Babbitt, an autistic savant brought on a cross country road trip during his brother’s bid to grab a piece of their father’s fortune.
—cleveland, 11 June 2022
Charlie is a selfish schemer who only finds out about Raymond, after his estranged father dies and leaves all of his fortune, except the Roadmaster, to Raymond, an autistic savant.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 18 Jan. 2022
The Good Doctor, ABC’s medical drama about an autistic savant who works as a surgical resident, premiered that September and became an instant hit.
—Sarah Kurchak, Time, 16 July 2021
But Kayla Cromer and Maeve Press are just as charming as the sisters — one of whom is a high-functioning autistic savant, and the other of whom is a misfit teen struggling to fit in with her classmates.
—Noel Murray, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2020
Denzel Washington is wonderfully cast against type as the title character, an autistic savant with a radical streak.
—Chris Ball, cleveland.com, 16 Feb. 2018
Alexander is what’s know as an autistic savant, with perfect pitch, a near-photographic memory for music and a surprising facility with the saxophone and piano.
—Pam Kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, 26 Jan. 2018
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'autistic savant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1978, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near autistic savant
Cite this Entry
“Autistic savant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autistic%20savant. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
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Medical Definition
autistic savant
noun
: a person affected with autism who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in some limited field (such as mathematics or music)
She is not just autistic but an autistic savant, meaning that she has unusual cognitive abilities, such as a photographic memory and excellent spatial skills.—Kat McGowan, Discover
Kat McGowan, DiscoverOnly rarely does an autistic savant come along who can memorize a phone book in 10 minutes or measure the exact height of a building by glancing at it.—Geoffrey Cowley, Newsweek
Geoffrey Cowley, NewsweekLove words? Need even more definitions?
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