Dictionary

spectrumy en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

From spectrum + -y.

Meanings

1. (informal) Having some characteristics of the autism spectrum.
   • I even e-mailed Hopkins to try to get her to back me up, but she wrote back, If Mom decides she wants to kick him out at any point, she will and he’ll be fine. He’s a little spectrumy, but perfectly competent. But so long as she’s happy having him at home, let them have each other. Without any support from the actual neurologist in the family, I gave up. 2011, Claire LaZebnik, Families and Other Nonreturnable Gifts, 5 Spot (2011), unnumbered page
   • His quiz was designed to detect autism and my score probably suggests I am “spectrumy” – to use a non-technical term – rather than a psycho. 2011 April 25, Nicholas Blincoe, “Zero Degrees of Empathy by Simon Baron-Cohen: review”, in The Telegraph:
   • Before the school year began, Francine met with the principal and the kindergarten teacher at the school. From the first moment, the meeting was rancorous. "The principal started telling me that Adam sounded spectrumy and needed occupational therapy and speech therapy, and she had never even met him yet. […] 2012, Carrie Goldman, Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs to Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear, HarperOne, →ISBN:

Forms

Synonyms

on the spectrum