"Educational autism" in the California school system apparently has looser criteria than the DSM-IV's series of autistic disorders.
Source: tatoeba (697687)
Autism
/ˈɔːtɪzəm/
Synonyms for "autism" (178 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (36)
Noun(4 words)
acquisitivenessairy nothingalienationanesthesiaautistic thinkingavoidance mechanismbashfulnessblame-shiftingbubblecareerismcastle in the aircatatoniachillchillinesschimeracold bloodcold heartcoldheartednesscoldnesscompensation
Show 12 more words
coolnessdaydreamdead pandeadpandeceptiondecompensationdefense mechanismdeluded beliefdelusiondereismdereistic thinkingdispassion
Strong matches (53)
dispassionatenessdisplacementdissociabilitydissociationdreamdream visiondreamerydreamlanddreamworlddullnessego tripegotismemotional deadnessemotional insulationemotionlessnessescapeescape into fantasyescape mechanismescapismfalse belief
Show 33 more words
fantasizingfantasyflightflight of fancyfrigidityfrostinessgraspingnessgreedheartlessnessicinessidealidealismidealityidealizationignis fatuusillusionimaginative exerciseimmovabilityimpassibilityimpassivenessimpassivityimpracticalityincompatibilityindividualisminexcitabilityinsociabilityinterestisolationlack of affectlack of feelinglack of touchmisbeliefmisconception
Related words (89)
mopishnessmorosenessnarcissismnegativismobjectivityobtusenessovercompensationpassionlessnesspersonal aimspersonal ambitionpersonal desirespersonalismpipe dreamplay of fancypoker facepossessivenessprivatismprojectionpsychotaxisquixotism
Show 69 more words
quixotryrationalizationremotenessresistanceromanceromanticismself-absorptionself-admirationself-advancementself-centerednessself-considerationself-containmentself-deceitself-deceptionself-delusionself-devotionself-esteemself-indulgenceself-interestself-interestednessself-jealousyself-occupationself-pleasingself-seekingself-servingself-solicitudeself-sufficiencyselfishnessselfismsocial incompatibilitysociological adjustive reactionssoullessnessspiritlessnessstraight facesublimationsubstitutionsullennesstricktripuncommunicativenessuncompanionabilityuncongenialityunemotionalismunexcitabilityunfeelingunfeelingnessunfriendlinessungenialityungregariousnessunimpressibilityunimpressionablenessunpassionatenessunpracticalnessunrealismunrealityunresponsivenessunsociabilityunsociablenessunsusceptibilityunsympatheticnessuntouchabilityutopianismvaporvisionarinesswish fulfillmentwish-fulfillment fantasywishful thinkingwithdrawalwrong impression
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: autism spectrum disorder, acquisitiveness, airy nothing, alienation, anesthesia.
- Sentence evidence is available for autism, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "autism".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "autism"
Keep "autism" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "autism" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "autism", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "autism" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
3 entriesMore specific
3 entrieschildhood autismclassic autisminfantile autism
Collocations
6 entriesautism diagnosisautism prevalenceautism researchautism spectrum disorderearly onset autismhigh-functioning autism
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
3 entriesTranslations
84 translations across 75 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- outisme noun (neurological disorder)
Arabic
2 entries- تَوَحُّد noun (neurological disorder)
- مَرَض التَّوَحُّد noun (neurological disorder)
Armenian
1 entries- աուտիզմ noun (neurological disorder)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- autizm noun (neurological disorder)
Basque
1 entries- autismo noun (neurological disorder)
Bengali
1 entries- অটিজম noun (neurological disorder)
Breton
1 entries- aotism noun (neurological disorder)
Bulgarian
1 entries- аути́зъм noun (neurological disorder)
Burmese
1 entries- အော်တစ်ဇင် noun (neurological disorder)
Catalan
1 entries- autisme noun (neurological disorder)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 孤獨症 /孤独症 noun (neurological disorder)
- 自閉症 /自闭症 noun (neurological disorder)
Corsican
1 entries- autismu noun (neurological disorder)
Czech
1 entries- autismus noun (neurological disorder)
Danish
1 entries- autisme noun (neurological disorder)
Dutch
1 entries- autisme noun (neurological disorder)
Dzongkha
1 entries- སེམས་ནད noun (neurological disorder)
Esperanto
1 entries- aŭtismo noun (neurological disorder)
Estonian
1 entries- autism noun (neurological disorder)
Faroese
1 entries- autisma noun (neurological disorder)
Finnish
1 entries- autismi noun (neurological disorder)
French
1 entries- autisme noun (neurological disorder)
Galician
1 entries- autismo noun (neurological disorder)
Georgian
1 entries- აუტიზმი noun (neurological disorder)
German
1 entries- Autismus noun (neurological disorder)
Greek
1 entries- αυτισμός noun (neurological disorder)
Hebrew
1 entries- אוטיזם noun (neurological disorder)
Hungarian
1 entries- autizmus noun (neurological disorder)
Icelandic
1 entries- einhverfa noun (neurological disorder)
Ido
1 entries- autismo noun (neurological disorder)
Indonesian
1 entries- autisme noun (neurological disorder)
Interlingua
1 entries- autismo noun (neurological disorder)
Irish
1 entries- uathachas noun (neurological disorder)
Italian
1 entries- autismo noun (neurological disorder)
Japanese
1 entries- 自閉症 noun (neurological disorder)
Kazakh
1 entries- аутизм noun (neurological disorder)
Khmer
1 entries- អូទីស្សឹម noun (neurological disorder)
Korean
1 entries- 자폐증 noun (neurological disorder)
Latin
1 entries- autismus noun (neurological disorder)
Lithuanian
1 entries- autizmas noun (neurological disorder)
Macedonian
1 entries- аутизам noun (neurological disorder)
Malagasy
1 entries- autiste noun (neurological disorder)
Malay
1 entries- autisme noun (neurological disorder)
Malayalam
1 entries- ഓട്ടിസം noun (neurological disorder)
Mongolian
1 entries- аутизм noun (neurological disorder)
Māori
3 entries- mate takiwātanga noun (neurological disorder)
- matetakiwātanga noun (neurological disorder)
- takiwātanga noun (neurological disorder)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- autisme noun (neurological disorder)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- autisme noun (neurological disorder)
Occitan
1 entries- autisme noun (neurological disorder)
Persian
1 entries- درخودماندگی noun (neurological disorder)
Polish
1 entries- autyzm noun (neurological disorder)
Portuguese
1 entries- autismo noun (neurological disorder)
Punjabi
1 entries- ਔਟਿਜ਼ਮ noun (neurological disorder)
Romanian
1 entries- autism noun (neurological disorder)
Russian
1 entries- аути́зм noun (neurological disorder)
Samoan
1 entries- vaivai o laʻua mafaufau noun (neurological disorder)
Scots
1 entries- autism noun (neurological disorder)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- uathachas noun (neurological disorder)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- autizam noun (neurological disorder)
- аутизам noun (neurological disorder)
Slovak
1 entries- autizmus noun (neurological disorder)
Slovene
1 entries- avtízem noun (neurological disorder)
Sotho
1 entries- kizengi noun (neurological disorder)
Spanish
1 entries- autismo noun (neurological disorder)
Sundanese
1 entries- autis noun (neurological disorder)
Swahili
1 entries- usonji noun (neurological disorder)
Swedish
1 entries- autism noun (neurological disorder)
Tagalog
1 entries- autismo noun (neurological disorder)
Tamil
3 entries- ஆட்டிசம் noun (neurological disorder)
- மதி இறுக்கம் noun (neurological disorder)
- மதியிறுக்கம் noun (neurological disorder)
Thai
1 entries- ความหมกหมุ่น noun (neurological disorder)
Turkish
2 entries- iç yöneliklik noun (neurological disorder)
- otizm noun (neurological disorder)
Ukrainian
2 entries- авти́зм noun (neurological disorder)
- аути́зм noun (neurological disorder)
Uzbek
1 entries- autizm noun (neurological disorder)
Vietnamese
1 entries- tự kỉ noun (neurological disorder)
Welsh
1 entries- awtistiaeth noun (neurological disorder)
West-Frisian
1 entries- autisme noun (neurological disorder)
Yiddish
1 entries- אויטיזם noun (neurological disorder)
Sample sentences
12 total sentences available.
Children that live in homes with vinyl floors are more likely to have autism.
Source: tatoeba (822238)
Only about 15 per cent of people with autism are in the workforce, mainly because people are so judgemental about them.
Source: tatoeba (3669027)
Both boys have autism.
Source: tatoeba (4493694)
Showing 4 of 12 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "autism"?
Closest matches include autism spectrum disorder, acquisitiveness, airy nothing, alienation, anesthesia.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "autism"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.