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Eidetic is the technical adjective used to describe what we more commonly call a photographic memory. The word ultimately derives from the Greek noun eidos, meaning "form." The ability of certain individuals to recall images, sounds, or events with uncanny accuracy is a subject of fascination for researchers in the field of psychology. Among notable people who were reputed to have eidetic memories is the late television comic Jackie Gleason, who reportedly was able to memorize an entire half-hour script in a single read-through.
Examples of eidetic in a Sentence
Sezin Koehler, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2025
Carter, who has an eidetic memory, can do nothing but remember.
—Meg Elison, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024
But the spotlight naturally pulls back to Beck, whose eidetic memory for faces, locations and even a stray box of thallium salts at the crime scene suggests a level of expertise honed in places far beyond Lincoln County.
—Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2023
Overall, people tend to use the terms photographic memory and eidetic memory interchangeably.
—Kelly Santana Banks, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2023
So far, there is no evidence eidetic memory occurs in adults.
—Kelly Santana Banks, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2023
Others have benefited from the club’s eidetic memory.
—New York Times, 25 Apr. 2022
Abrams also graduated from Yale Law and has an excellent memory, though not an eidetic one.
—Washington Post, 6 May 2021
Olson contends that Audubon had an eidetic memory—commonly called photographic memory—because the sometimes astounding positions of his birds have been verified by contemporary videos and photographs captured via telephoto lenses.
—Marissa Fessenden, Scientific American, 17 May 2013
Cite this Entry
“Eidetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eidetic. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
eidetic
adjective
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