Standard Lemma guide

neurodiverse

adj · 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌnjʊəɹə(ʊ)daɪˈvɜːs/
  • General-American: /ˌn(j)ʊɹoʊˌdaɪˈvɝs/
  • General-American: /-dəˈvɝs/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)s

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of a person: exhibiting neurodiversity; varying in mental configuration from others, especially being on the autism spectrum; of a group: made up of neurodivergent people.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: aneurotypical, neuroatypical, neurodivergent

Antonyms: neurotypical

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of or pertaining to neurodivergent people or groups.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From neuro- (prefix denoting the nervous system) + diverse, probably modelled on neurodiversity which was coined by the Australian sociologist Judy Singer (born 1951) in her 1998 Bachelor of Arts dissertation. The latter word was popularized by Harvey Blume in a September 1998 article in The Atlantic.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: neurodivers — of a person: exhibiting neurodiversity; of a group: made up of neurodivergent people
  • Finnish: ei-neurotyypillinen — of a person: exhibiting neurodiversity; of a group: made up of neurodivergent people
  • Macedonian: невроразноо́бразен (nevroraznoóbrazen) — of a person: exhibiting neurodiversity; of a group: made up of neurodivergent people
  • Spanish: neurodiverso — of a person: exhibiting neurodiversity; of a group: made up of neurodivergent people
  • Welsh: niwroamrywiol — of a person: exhibiting neurodiversity; of a group: made up of neurodivergent people
  • Dutch: neurodivers — of or pertaining to neurodivergent people or groups
  • Finnish: ei-neurotyypillinen — of or pertaining to neurodivergent people or groups
  • Spanish: neurodiverso — of or pertaining to neurodivergent people or groups
  • Welsh: niwroamrywiol — of or pertaining to neurodivergent people or groups