What does telepath mean?
Telepath is a noun for a person believed to communicate thoughts, feelings, or intentions directly by a nonphysical form of mind-to-mind contact. Such people appear frequently in fantasy, science fiction, and stories about paranormal abilities. In ordinary conversation, the word may also describe someone unusually perceptive about another person's state of mind, as in calling a friend a telepath for finishing a sentence before the other person does. The related adjective telepathic is more common when describing an ability, bond, or link, while telepath can function attributively before a noun. The verb telepath is used informally to describe direct thought communication. Although these usages evoke fictional or alleged powers, the word can also carry the figurative suggestion of profound empathy or intuitive understanding.
A person who is believed or portrayed as able to communicate thoughts or feelings directly through telepathy; in fiction, also a device or system used for such communication.
"The telepath closed her eyes and searched for the thoughts of the missing explorers."
The literal use is chiefly associated with fiction, fantasy, and claims about paranormal abilities; the figurative use describes exceptional intuitive understanding.
Relating to telepathy or to someone who communicates through it.
"The young telepath child struggled to escape the constant noise of other people's thoughts."
The adjective telepathic is generally more idiomatic for an ability, link, or bond.
To communicate thoughts or feelings directly through telepathy.
"The separated twins continued to telepath with one another."
The verb is uncommon outside fiction, narrative writing, and informal figurative use.
The plural refers to multiple people believed or portrayed as having telepathic abilities.
"The telepaths formed a network that linked settlements thousands of miles apart."
Telepath and telephone share a Greek idea: communication across a distance—though only one carries it through the mind.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does telepath come from?
Telepath was formed in English from Greek-derived elements associated with tēle, meaning “far” or “distant,” and pathos, meaning “feeling.” It developed alongside the English term telepathy and the late-nineteenth-century interest in claims of communication beyond ordinary physical means. The same Greek pathos underlies words such as pathos, pathetic, and pathology.
Related word forms
How telepath is actually used
The noun is common in fiction, fantasy, discussion of alleged paranormal abilities, and casual metaphors for unusually accurate understanding of another person. As an adjective, telepath is less common than telepathic, while the verb is chiefly informal or literary.
Easily confused with telepath
A psychic is a broad term for someone claimed to have abilities beyond ordinary senses, whereas a telepath specifically communicates thoughts or feelings by direct mental transmission.
A telepath is said to receive or transmit another person's thoughts, while a clairvoyant is claimed to perceive hidden facts or future events.