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Glite Dictionary
nonfluent aphasia

nonfluent aphasia

9.9
A condition after a stroke that makes speaking and writing very hard while understanding often stays good
  • noun
  • /nɒnˈfluːənt əˈfeɪʒə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : afasia no fluida
  • During the evaluation, it was evident that the man had nonfluent aphasia, as he often paused and struggled to form full sentences.

Examples

  • Patients with nonfluent aphasia struggle to find the right words when speaking, which affects their ability to communicate effectively.

  • However, speakers with fluent aphasia produced more iconic gestures than the other groups, whereas speakers with nonfluent aphasia produced more deictic and metalinguistic gestures.

    Academic text (2013)

  • A speech therapist works with individuals who have nonfluent aphasia to help improve their verbal expression despite their challenges.

Synonyms

Broca's aphasia
vsnonfluent aphasia
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A condition in which a person understands others but cannot speak or write well

is the same condition but known by a specific medical name
expressive aphasia
vsnonfluent aphasia
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A problem where a person has trouble speaking or writing but can still understand others

is the same condition but the term varies in formal use
motor aphasia
vsnonfluent aphasia
  • Specialized
8.5

A problem where a person cannot easily say or write words but can understand others

is the same condition but called by a different name
ataxic aphasia
vsnonfluent aphasia
  • Specialized
9.9

Severe trouble speaking and writing after brain damage such as a stroke

notes that understanding may be relatively preserved rather than left unspecified

Antonyms

fluent aphasia
  • Specialized
8.6

Talking that sounds normal but uses wrong words and makes understanding language hard

Surface Forms

nonfluent aphasia singular
nonfluent aphasias plural

Morphology

nonfluent + aphasia

The compound combines 'nonfluent' (not fluent, slow/effortful speech) with 'aphasia' (language loss), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a type of aphasia characterized by impaired speech production. The clinical nuance about preserved comprehension may not be fully deduced, but the core meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Nonfluent aphasia comes from the parts nonfluent ('not smooth or flowing') and aphasia ('loss of speech'), creating the image of words that break and stop instead of flowing. That's why the term means having trouble producing speech or writing even when you can still understand language.