Paresthesia

//ˌpærɪsˈθiːziə/ noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A sensation of burning, prickling, itching, or tingling of the skin, with no obvious cause. countable, uncountable

    "Paresthesia occurs when a body part 'falls asleep'."

  2. 2
    abnormal skin sensations (as tingling or tickling or itching or burning) usually associated with peripheral nerve damage wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
pins and needlesanalgesiaanesthesiabuzzparaesthesiapica

Example

More examples

"Carpal tunnel syndrome is a disorder caused by disturbances in nerve function (neuropathy), leading to pain and numbness or tingling (paresthesia) primarily in the wrist and hand."

Etymology

From Ancient Greek παραίσθησις (paraísthēsis). By surface analysis, para- + -esthesia.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.