Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Unable to speak because of a brain lesion: Describes a person who has lost the ability to produce or comprehend language due to damage in specific areas of the brain.
   • Related to or affected by aphasia: Pertaining to the condition of aphasia or exhibiting its characteristics.

2. Noun:

   • Someone affected by aphasia: A person who suffers from aphasia, an impairment of language abilities.

Examples

• Adjective:

  • After the stroke, the patient was completely aphasic and could not form any words.
  • The therapist specialized in treating aphasic patients.
  • His aphasic speech was characterized by fluent but nonsensical sentences.

• Noun:

  • The speech pathologist worked with several aphasics in the rehabilitation clinic.
  • Support groups can be very helpful for aphasics and their families.

Advanced Usage

• The term is primarily used in medical, neurological, and linguistic contexts to describe the condition or the individual.
• It can be used attributively (e.g., , ) to describe things related to the condition.

Variants and Related Words

• Aphasia (n): The medical term for the loss of ability to understand or express speech, caused by brain damage.
  • He was diagnosed with Broca's aphasia.
• Aphasic can function as both an adjective and a noun.

Synonyms

• Adjective: speechless (in a medical context), language-impaired.
• Noun: (none are exact, but descriptively) a person with aphasia, a language-impaired patient.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• (There are no common idioms or phrasal verbs specifically for aphasic. It is a technical term.)

Adjective

1. unable to speak because of a brain lesion
2. related to or affected by aphasia
   • aphasic speech

Noun

1. someone affected by aphasia or inability to use or understand language