autistic savant

noun

plural autistic savants
: an autistic person with savant syndrome
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

Examples of autistic savant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Tammet refers to himself as an autistic savant. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2022 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

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of autistic savant was in 1972

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Cite this Entry

“Autistic savant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autistic%20savant. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.

Medical Definition

autistic savant

noun
: an autistic person with savant syndrome
… only 10 percent of individuals with ASD [=autism spectrum disorder] have savant abilities; the prevalence in the general population without ASD is less than 1 percent. … Autistic savants can have either a single special skill or display multiple skills. In most cases, if not all, of autistic savants, these specialized skills are concrete, non-symbolic, right cerebral hemisphere skills, … and most reliant on memory. Noel Kok Hwee Chia, Academic Research International
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