au·tis·tic
ȯ-ˈti-stik 
: of, relating to, or marked by autism or autism spectrum disorder
autistic behavior
autistic children
: an individual affected with autism or autism spectrum disorder
Examples of autistic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Pilar Arias, Fox News, 10 Apr. 2024
My oldest, Lily, is autistic, diagnosed at 3 years old.
—Emilee Coblentz, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
Faulkner, who is autistic, has nursed an intense curiosity about music for most of his life.
—Stephen Deusner, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
The festival is co-curated by the museum’s assistant curator of public programs Tiffany Joy Butler and its media and access educator Miranda Lee, who is herself autistic.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2024
Based on the 2013 South Korean series of the same name, The Good Doctor stars Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, a gifted and autistic surgical resident at the San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024
Each of the show’s leads are authentically cast with autistic actors — a first for Broadway.
—Liz Rothaus Bertrand, Charlotte Observer, 7 Feb. 2024
Where are the autistic people with different presentations?
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2024
One of his columns on Cerritos College basketball player Kade West, who is deaf and autistic, inspired a short documentary that earned APSE excellence in video honors.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Marie Myung-Ok Lee, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024
Within the diverse and vast spectrum of autism, there are undoubtedly autistics who go on to experience fulfilling relationships and establish families of their own in adulthood.
—TIME, 3 Jan. 2024
In 2017, Sonnier and his sister-in-law Shirley Strange-Allen released a children’s book titled The Little Boy Under the Wagon, based on the struggles Sonnier faced growing up autistic in the 1950s in South Louisiana.
—Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
In fact, encouraging autonomy fosters confidence and self-assurance, enabling autistics to navigate social situations more effectively.
—TIME, 3 Jan. 2024
Inevitably, the teaching strategies and therapy for a literal thinker autistic would be different from the needs of a non-literal autistic.
—Time, 31 July 2023
Which autistic’s need in the room gets prioritized?
—Hari Srinivasan, Fortune, 27 July 2023
In adulthood, autistics face under/unemployment and inadequate assistance from rehabilitation agencies.
—John Elder Robison, STAT, 23 Mar. 2023
Getting rid of that social expectation would help autistics move more freely through the world.
—Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2023
Adjective
The first accusation came from the parents of a 10-year-old, nonverbal autistic boy who can be seen on a video being punched, hit and stomped on by a suspect identified as former bus aide Kiarra Jones.
—Pilar Arias, Fox News, 10 Apr. 2024
My oldest, Lily, is autistic, diagnosed at 3 years old.
—Emilee Coblentz, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
Faulkner, who is autistic, has nursed an intense curiosity about music for most of his life.
—Stephen Deusner, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
The festival is co-curated by the museum’s assistant curator of public programs Tiffany Joy Butler and its media and access educator Miranda Lee, who is herself autistic.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2024
Based on the 2013 South Korean series of the same name, The Good Doctor stars Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, a gifted and autistic surgical resident at the San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024
Each of the show’s leads are authentically cast with autistic actors — a first for Broadway.
—Liz Rothaus Bertrand, Charlotte Observer, 7 Feb. 2024
Where are the autistic people with different presentations?
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2024
One of his columns on Cerritos College basketball player Kade West, who is deaf and autistic, inspired a short documentary that earned APSE excellence in video honors.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
There have been too many stories of autistics violently arrested and even killed by law enforcement.
—Marie Myung-Ok Lee, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024
Within the diverse and vast spectrum of autism, there are undoubtedly autistics who go on to experience fulfilling relationships and establish families of their own in adulthood.
—TIME, 3 Jan. 2024
In 2017, Sonnier and his sister-in-law Shirley Strange-Allen released a children’s book titled The Little Boy Under the Wagon, based on the struggles Sonnier faced growing up autistic in the 1950s in South Louisiana.
—Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
In fact, encouraging autonomy fosters confidence and self-assurance, enabling autistics to navigate social situations more effectively.
—TIME, 3 Jan. 2024
Inevitably, the teaching strategies and therapy for a literal thinker autistic would be different from the needs of a non-literal autistic.
—Time, 31 July 2023
Which autistic’s need in the room gets prioritized?
—Hari Srinivasan, Fortune, 27 July 2023
In adulthood, autistics face under/unemployment and inadequate assistance from rehabilitation agencies.
—John Elder Robison, STAT, 23 Mar. 2023
Getting rid of that social expectation would help autistics move more freely through the world.
—Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'autistic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
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Cite this Entry
“Autistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autistic. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Medical Definition
autistic
1 of 2 adjective
au·tis·tic
ȯ-ˈtis-tik
: of, relating to, or marked by autism or autism spectrum disorder
autistic behavior
autistic children
autistic
2 of 2 noun
: an individual affected with autism or autism spectrum disorder
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