dyslexia

noun

dys·​lex·​ia dis-ˈlek-sē-ə How to pronounce dyslexia (audio)
: a variable often familial learning disability involving difficulties in acquiring and processing language that is typically manifested by a lack of proficiency in reading, spelling, and writing
dyslexic
dis-ˈlek-sik How to pronounce dyslexia (audio)
adjective or noun

Examples of dyslexia 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.
His dyslexia and his intuitive decision-making took him further, envisioning and developing the Virgin Rail Group and Virgin Galactic. —Hulan Hagen, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024 For example, some of our favorite entries from last year included a personal story on parental incarceration, reporting on a young person's experience learning to read with dyslexia and discussions on everyday topics like school lunch and teen fashion. —Steve Drummond, NPR, 19 Dec. 2024 Only 1 in 5 people have dyslexia, yet nearly half of everyone incarcerated suffers from the learning disability. —Brian Welk, IndieWire, 10 Dec. 2024 Pushing myself on the mountain helped bring me out of my shell of dyslexia for work. —John Meyer, The Denver Post, 30 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dyslexia 

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "impairment in the ability to read due to a brain injury," borrowed from French & German; French dyslexie, borrowed from German Dyslexie, from dys- dys- + -lexie (in Alexie alexia)

Note: German Dyslexie was introduced by the ophthalmologist Rudolf Berlin (1833-97), apparently first in print in Medicinisches Correspondenzblatt des Württembergischen Ärztlichen Landesvereins, vol. 53 (1883), p. 209. Berlin gave an oral presentation on dyslexia at a professional meeting in June, 1883 ("VIII. Wandersammlung der Südwestdeutschen Neurologen und Irrenärtze in Baden", published in Archiv für Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten, Band 15 [1884], pp. 276-78) in which he explained the coinage as follows: "Die mehr oder weniger deutlich ausgesprochene Plötzlichkeit, mit welcher die Krankheit auftritt und die begleitenden, resp. im Verlaufe sich entwickelnden cerebrale Symptome machen es höchst wahrscheinlich dass die pathologisch-anatomische Ursache der Lesestörung ebenfalls eine cerebrale ist. Redner bezeichnete die letzere deshalb, um diese Auffassung zu markiren, nach Analogie des gebräuchlichen Ausdruckes Alexie als 'Dyslexie.' Dabei macht er auf die etymologischen Bedenken aufmerksam, welche diese Bezeichnung entgegenstehen, die Aufstellung eines physiologisch weniger anfechtbaren Ausdruckes anheimgebend." ("The more or less clearly pronounced suddenness with which the disorder appears, and the cerebral symptoms that accompany it or develop in its course, make it highly probable that the pathological and anatomical cause of the disturbance in reading is likewise a cerebral one. To make this conception clear, the speaker [i.e., Berlin] therefore designates the disturbance, by analogy with the customary expression alexia, as 'dyslexia.' At the same time while he draws attention to the etymological reservations that might oppose this designation, he yields to the establishment of an expression less contestable physiologically.")

First Known Use

circa 1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dyslexia was circa 1888

Dictionary Entries Near dyslexia

dyskinesia

dyslexia

dyslexiac

Cite this Entry

“Dyslexia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dyslexia. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

dyslexia

noun
dys·​lex·​ia dis-ˈlek-sē-ə How to pronounce dyslexia (audio)
: a learning disability that is usually marked by problems in reading, spelling, and writing

Medical Definition

dyslexia

noun
dys·​lex·​ia dis-ˈlek-sē-ə How to pronounce dyslexia (audio)
: a variable often familial learning disability that involves difficulties in acquiring and processing language and that is typically manifested by a lack of proficiency in reading, spelling, and writing

More from Merriam-Webster on dyslexia

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dyslexia

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments

Word of the Year 2024 | Polarization

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
white rubber duck stands out in a row of yellow ducks
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.