Phrase guide

conversion disorder

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A condition where the patient displays neurological symptoms such as numbness, blindness, paralysis, or fits, but without any neurological explanation, usually traced back to a psychological trigger.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, medicine, neurology, neuroscience, psychiatry, psychology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a mental disorder characterized by the conversion of mental conflict into somatic forms (into paralysis or anesthesia having no apparent cause)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: conversion reaction, conversion hysteria

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mental disorder, mental disturbance, disturbance, psychological disorder, folie

Narrower terms: glove anesthesia

History

Etymology

From conversion + disorder.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 轉化症 /转化症 (zhuǎnhuàzhèng) — condition
  • Chinese Mandarin: 轉換障礙 /转换障碍 (zhuǎnhuàn zhàng'ài) — condition
  • Dutch: conversiestoornis — condition
  • Finnish: konversiohäiriö — condition
  • Finnish: dissosiaatiohäiriö — condition