mutism

UK: /ˈmjuːtɪzəm/ US: (myo̅o̅′tiz əm)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

mut•ism  (myo̅o̅′tiz əm), n. [Psychiatry.]

1. Psychiatry an inability to speak, due to a physical defect, conscious refusal, or psychogenic inhibition.

• Neo-Latin mūtismus. See mute, -ism
• 1815–25

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

mutism / ˈmjuːtɪzəm/ noun

1. the state of being mute
2. an inability to speak although the mechanism of speech is not damaged
3. the lack of development of speech, due usually to early deafness