attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
noun
Simple meaning
A developmental disorder in which a person has difficulty to concentrate and a persistent pattern of impulsiveness and inattention.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhtehnshuhnduhfuhsuhtyperaktihvihteedihsawrderSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əˈtɛnʃəndɛfəsətaɪpɚæktɪvɪtidɪsɔɹdɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
neurologypathologypsychiatrypsychology
A developmental disorder in which a person has difficulty to concentrate and a persistent pattern of impulsiveness and inattention, with or without a component of hyperactivity.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (neurology, pathology, psychiatry, psychology) A developmental disorder in which a person has difficulty to concentrate and a persistent pattern of impulsiveness and inattention, with or without a component of hyperactivity.
Used this way, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a specialist word with a faintly unfavourable edge. This is a clinical use: it belongs to medical description, where it is factual rather than emotive.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Critical or judgemental
- Usage feel
- Clinical and detached
Where it naturally appears
- Medicine/healthcare
- Science
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
- Use it in a sentenceWrite your own line with “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” and get instant feedback.
- Practice it in contextShort real-world questions, free, no credits.
- Review it laterSpaced review keeps the word from slipping away.
- Type itType “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” from its meaning to lock in the spelling.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.