MUTISM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does mutism mean? 

• MUTISM (noun)
  The noun MUTISM has 1 sense:

1. the condition of being unable or unwilling to speak

  Familiarity information: MUTISM used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MUTISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The condition of being unable or unwilling to speak

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

muteness; mutism

Context example:

her muteness was a consequence of her deafness

Hypernyms ("mutism" is a kind of...):

condition; status (a state at a particular time)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mutism"):

deaf-muteness; deaf-mutism (congenital deafness that results in inability to speak)

 Context examples 

Cerebellar mutism syndrome usually appears 1 or 2 days after surgery.

(Cerebellar mutism syndrome, NCI Dictionary)

A subtype of schizophrenia characterized by a psychomotor disturbance that may involve motoric immobility, excessive motor activity, extreme negativism or mutism, peculiarities of voluntary movement, echolalia, and/or echopraxia.

(Catatonic Type Schizophrenia, NCI Thesaurus)

Also called cerebellar mutism syndrome.

(CMS, NCI Dictionary)