🐶 Surgical silencing 🤐 Loss of voice 🔇 Sound becomes voiceless

devocalization

9.7

Loss of the ability to use the voice after illness or injury

noun
/dɪˌvoʊkəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/

Specialized

: devocalización

After a severe infection, she experienced temporary devocalization and could only whisper.

Examples

The patient's devocalization was caused by nerve damage after surgery.
Doctors monitored his recovery from devocalization following the accident.
After the accident, he suffered from devocalization.
The doctor explained the effects of devocalization on speech.
The patient's devocalization made it difficult for him to communicate with his family.
After her surgery, the doctor warned her about the possibility of devocalization due to nerve damage.
Therapists often work with patients recovering from devocalization to help them regain their voice.

Synonyms

voicelessness

vsdevocalization

Specialized

1 8.3

When a person cannot speak because of a problem with the throat or vocal cords

includes severe reduction or total loss of the ability to produce voice

dysphonia

vsdevocalization

Specialized

1 9.6

A problem with the voice that makes speaking difficult

involves a greater loss or severe reduction of voice rather than just difficulty

Antonyms

voice

∞ 1.0

The sound a person makes when speaking or singing

vocalization

Specialized

6 5.2

A sound a person or animal makes with the voice to communicate

How Vocal

voice

∞ 1.0

hoarseness

1 4.8

dysphonia

Specialized

1 9.6

devocalization

Specialized

9.7

aphonia

Specialized

1 9.9

Surface Forms

devocalization singular

devocalizations plural

Morphology

devocalization = vocalization (semi-transparent) = de + vocal + ization

Adding de- to vocalization is a straightforward prefixation that expresses removal or reduction.

Etymology

Devocalization comes from the parts de- 'remove' and vocal 'voice', so it literally means losing or removing the voice, which is why doctors use it for when a person cannot speak or can only whisper.