Standard Lemma guide

telecommunication

noun · 5 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.

  • Canada, General-American: /ˌtɛləkəˌmjunɪˈkeɪʃən/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌtɛlɪkəˌmjuːnɪˈkeɪʃən/
  • Australian: /ˌteləkəˌmjʉːnɪˈkæɪʃən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T EH2 L AH0 K AH0 M Y UW2 N IH0 K EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The science and technology of the communication of messages over a distance using electric, electronic or electromagnetic impulses.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A message so transmitted.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Systems used in transmitting such signals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, in-plural, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

(often plural) the branch of electrical engineering concerned with the technology of electronic communication at a distance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: electrical engineering, EE

5

noun

Meaning 5

(often plural) systems used in transmitting messages over a distance electronically

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: telecom

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: medium

Narrower terms: telephone, telephony, telegraphy, wireless, broadcasting, multiplex

History

Etymology

From French télécommunication. Equivalent to tele- + communication.

Across languages

Translations

39 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: հեռահաղորդակցություն (heṙahaġordakcʻutʻyun) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Catalan: telecomunicació — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Chinese Mandarin: 電訊 /电讯 (diànxùn) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Chinese Mandarin: 電信 /电信 (diànxìn) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Czech: telekomunikace — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Danish: telekomminikation — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Finnish: televiestintä — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Finnish: telekommunikaatio — science and technology of communication over distance
  • French: télécommunication — science and technology of communication over distance
  • German: Telekommunikation — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Greek: τηλεπικοινωνίες (tilepikoinoníes) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Hungarian: távközlés — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Hungarian: telekommunikáció — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Icelandic: fjarskipti — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Indonesian: telekomunikasi — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Italian: telecomunicazioni — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Japanese: 電気通信 (denki tsūshin) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Kazakh: телебайланыс (telebailanys) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Kazakh: телеқатынас (teleqatynas) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Kyrgyz: телекоммуникация (telekommunikatsiya) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Macedonian: телекомуникации (telekomunikacii) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Māori: whitimamao — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Norwegian Bokmål: telekommunikasjon — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: telekommunikasjon — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Polish: telekomunikacja — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Portuguese: telecomunicação — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Romanian: telecomunicație — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Russian: телекоммуника́ции (telekommunikácii) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Russian: связь (svjazʹ) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Russian: электросвя́зь (elektrosvjázʹ) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Spanish: telecomunicación — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Swahili: mawasiliano ya simu — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Tamil: தொலைத்தொடர்பு (tolaittoṭarpu) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Thai: โทรคมนาคม (tora gamanāgom) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Turkish: telekomünikasyon — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Ukrainian: телекомунікації (telekomunikaciji) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Urdu: مُواصَلات (muvāṣalāt) — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Uzbek: telekommunikatsiya — science and technology of communication over distance
  • Vietnamese: viễn thông — science and technology of communication over distance
Real reading context

telecommunication in complete knowledge articles