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Literary Devices

Figure of Speech · Themes & Ideas

Synesthesia

Synesthesia involves the blending or crossing of two or more sensory experiences or perceptions, such as sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. It is often used to create vivid and evocative descriptions that appeal to multiple senses and create a more immersive reading experience for the audience. Synesthesia can be achieved through the use of metaphors, similes, and other forms of figurative language that compare or combine sensory experiences, such as "the sound of her voice was like velvet" or "the taste of the cake was a rainbow of flavors."

Literary synesthesia describes one sensory mode through language associated with another, such as a bright sound or a bitter color. Identify both senses and explain what the crossing contributes to the description.

A sharp yellow note pierced the room.
A sound is described through visual color and tactile sharpness.

See it in language

Examples of Synesthesia

  1. A sharp yellow note pierced the room.

    Instructional example

  2. The violin poured a warm amber melody.

    Instructional example

    Auditory experience is expressed through temperature and color.

  3. Her reply left a metallic taste in the silence.

    Instructional example

    Language and silence are rendered through taste and material texture.

Show more examples
  1. "The scent of lilacs filled the room with a purple haze." This example from Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" combines the sense of smell with the visual color of purple to create a vivid and sensory description.
  2. "The taste of the tomato was a burst of sunshine on my tongue." This example combines the sense of taste with the visual imagery of sunshine to create a sensory experience that evokes warmth and happiness.
  3. "The sound of the waterfall was a symphony of crashing cymbals." This example combines the sense of sound with the auditory experience of a musical instrument to create a dynamic and intense description.
  4. "Her touch was like an electric shock, sending shivers down my spine." This example combines the sense of touch with the visual and sensory experience of electricity to create a physical and emotional response in the reader.
  5. "The colors of the sunset danced across the sky like a painting come to life." This example combines the sense of sight with the visual experience of art to create a vivid and evocative description of a natural phenomenon.

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How to recognize it

  1. Identify the sense being described.
  2. Locate vocabulary conventionally associated with a different sense.
  3. Explain the emotional, atmospheric, or perceptual effect of the crossing.

Meaning and effect

Why writers use Synesthesia

Create sensory experience
The device can create sensory experience through its distinctive textual mechanism.
Create vivid comparison
Writers may use it to create vivid comparison for readers.
Develop atmosphere
Its pattern can develop atmosphere in context.

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Related devices

Questions readers ask

Frequently asked questions

Is literary Synesthesia the neurological condition?

No. The literary device is a cross-sensory descriptive technique, though its name derives from the same general idea.

Can a phrase combine more than two senses?

Yes, provided the cross-sensory relationships are intelligible.