Pseudoverbal

adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Having some of the characteristics of a verb, though not in fact a verb. not-comparable
  2. 2
    Appearing to have speaking skills that are not in fact present. not-comparable

    "Their echolalic responses may be much more extensive than the single words or short phrases that are characteristic of normal echolalia. Thus, a pseudoverbal autistic child may respond to "Do you want a cookie, Jimmy?" with a replication of the very same words."

Example

More examples

"Their echolalic responses may be much more extensive than the single words or short phrases that are characteristic of normal echolalia. Thus, a pseudoverbal autistic child may respond to "Do you want a cookie, Jimmy?" with a replication of the very same words."

Etymology

From pseudo- + verbal.

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