aphantasia

English

Etymology

a- +‎ phantasia. From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “not”) + φαντασία (phantasía, “perception, impression, image, look, appearance”), coined in a 2015 article.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌeɪ.fænˈteɪ.zi.ə/, /ˌeɪ.fænˈteɪ.ʒə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: a‧fan‧ta‧sia

Noun

aphantasia (uncountable)

1. (psychology, pathology) A condition where one does not possess a functioning "mind's eye" and cannot visualize imagery.
   • 2020 July 15, Serena Puang, “Living With Aphantasia, the Inability to Make Mental Images”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN:

     But aphantasia not only impacts people’s learning experiences; it also extends into their personal lives. Not being able to visualize means never picturing the faces of family or close friends and remembering images as abstract information.

Derived terms

• aphant
• aphantasiac

Translations

condition

• Afrikaans: afantasie
• Finnish: afantasia
• French: aphantasie (fr)
• German: Aphantasie f

See also

• anauralia (the absence of auditory imagery, particularly the lack of an "inner voice".)
• hyperphantasia