Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

photism

noun

foh-TIZ-um

Definition

The sensation of experiencing colors when stimulated by a non-color stimulus, particularly in response to light.

Examples

She reported a vivid photism when she listened to the bright symphony, perceiving colors swirling in her mind.
The artist claimed to experience photism, using colors in her paintings that reflected the sounds she heard.

Meaning

Photism refers to a phenomenon where individuals perceive colors that are not actually present due to visual or auditory stimulation. This condition can be linked to aspects of synesthesia, where information from one sensory pathway is involuntarily processed in another way.