echolalia
noun
echo·la·lia
ˌe-kō-ˈlā-lē-ə 
: the often pathological repetition of what is said by other people as if echoing them
Examples of echolalia in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For example, some parents may wonder if these behaviors are related to things like stimming (repetitive movement or sounds), echolalia (meaningless repetition of words), or self-regulation behaviors.
—
wendy Wisner, Parents, 8 Sep. 2025
Up to 75% of people with autism experience echolalia and speech imitation.1
In most children, echolalia resolves by age 3.
—Carrie Madormo, Rn, Health, 7 Sep. 2024
The stars again with their echolalia, their vanishing.
—Deborah Landau, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022
The repetition of speech is called echolalia and is a common sign of autism.
—Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2022
The flapping and the echolalia are not just oddities.
—David Dobbs, WIRED, 10 Feb. 2012
Certainly, there are striking similarities, from the obsessive routines, to the echolalia (repeating what other people say), to the avoidance of eye contact, all classic symptoms of severe autism.
—Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 18 Nov. 2010
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wendy Wisner, Parents, 8 Sep. 2025
Up to 75% of people with autism experience echolalia and speech imitation.1
In most children, echolalia resolves by age 3.
—Carrie Madormo, Rn, Health, 7 Sep. 2024
The stars again with their echolalia, their vanishing.
—Deborah Landau, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022
The repetition of speech is called echolalia and is a common sign of autism.
—Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2022
The flapping and the echolalia are not just oddities.
—David Dobbs, WIRED, 10 Feb. 2012
Certainly, there are striking similarities, from the obsessive routines, to the echolalia (repeating what other people say), to the avoidance of eye contact, all classic symptoms of severe autism.
—Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 18 Nov. 2010
Cite this Entry
“Echolalia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/echolalia. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
echolalia
noun
echo·la·lia
ˌek-ō-ˈlā-lē-ə
: the often pathological repetition of what is said by other people as if echoing them
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