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I'm looking for a term for audio in form of the word visual.

Visual is defined as

of or relating to the sense of sight

What could you call the sense of hearing? Also, what do you call this form of a word? (i.e verb, noun...)

It should fit the x in the following sentence:

Is it possible to fall in love with someone without visual or x contact?

I'm not a native English speaker, so I couldn't find the terms for searching this.

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    What's wrong with plain old "audible"?
    – Dan Bron
    Dec 16, 2014 at 19:34
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    It doesn't fit the sentence. It's not a similar sounding word to visual which is what I was looking for.
    – Claudio
    Dec 16, 2014 at 19:57
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    "Visual" doesn't really fit the sentence very well either. The term "visual contact" is rather rare, and could be easily confused with "eye contact" - which isn't quite what you mean.
    – 4444
    Dec 17, 2014 at 15:14
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    @DanBron “visible is to audible as visual is to ____?” is what the OP is asking I believe.
    – chharvey
    Nov 21, 2017 at 22:21

9 Answers 9

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Aural - of or relating to the ear or the sense of hearing. It's an adjective.

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    Audial and auricular are synonyms also. Aural seems like the most common one (if we exclude auditory). Google Ngram
    – ermanen
    Dec 16, 2014 at 18:47
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    If audial is the very same thing, it's more what I'm looking for.
    – Claudio
    Dec 16, 2014 at 18:55
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    @Claudio: Even, audio is an adjective itself.
    – ermanen
    Dec 16, 2014 at 18:59
  • Discovered this while reading page 5 of "Code" by Charles Petzold today: "...types of information used in communication, be it visual (text and pictures), aural (spoken words, sounds, and music)..."
    – TK-421
    Dec 16, 2014 at 23:21
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    Honestly, I'd prefer to go with "auditory" for the sole reason that "aural" and "oral" are nearly indistinguishable when spoken. Consider in context, "Is it possible to fall in love with someone without oral contact?"
    – Cat
    Dec 17, 2014 at 0:55
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auditory - adjective - of or relating to the sense of hearing. "the auditory nerves"

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  • I guess it means the same thing, but it's not what I was looking for.
    – Claudio
    Dec 16, 2014 at 18:39
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Ocular: relating to the eye(s) | Aural: relating to the ear(s)

Visible: able to be seen | Audible: able to be heard

Visual: relating to the sense of sight/seeing | Auditory: relating to the sense of hearing

Video: relating to light or the recording thereof | Audio: relating to sound or the recording thereof

Photo-: produced by light | Phono-/Sono-: produced by sound or voice

Verbal: relating to words (either written or spoken)

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My suggestion would be:

Is it possible to fall in love with someone without visual or verbal contact?

"Verbal" refers to speech, rather than hearing, but seems to convey the message well in this case.

Alternatively, you may want to use the term face-to-face, for example "without meeting face-to-face".

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  • But this can mean a chat message. The sentence belongs to an article where it is wondered, can you fall in love through internet rather than face to face.
    – Claudio
    Dec 16, 2014 at 22:22
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    @Claudio Then I misunderstood the question. I thought the rules were no video or audio contact whatsoever, not even online, but only text contact. I would recommend writing "without face-to-face contact" or "without meeting face-to-face" to best convey the message.
    – nitro2k01
    Dec 16, 2014 at 22:27
  • Good idea. It's easier for people to understand.
    – Claudio
    Dec 16, 2014 at 22:28
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Aural and auditory are both technically correct in this sentence, but neither works well. While aural sounds better in cadence with "visual," it is the lesser choice because in addition to meaning "relating to the sense of hearing" it can mean "relating to the ear." "Aural contact" could thus be interpreted as touching the ear!

The problem is the sentence itself: "visual and auditory contact" is extremely awkward. So write around it: "Is it possible to fall in love without actually meeting the person?"

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    'Aural' also sounds exactly the same as 'oral' in many varieties of spoken English, making it very prone to generating confusion. However, in context, 'auditory' would be perfectly acceptable: in normal speech, I have never heard it used to mean 'pertaining to the external ear'. For most people in most situations, it means only 'relating to the sense of hearing'.
    – Erik Kowal
    Dec 17, 2014 at 3:18
  • It should be auditory- Listen to the aural sensations of songs from outer space when you've been gassed for your oral surgery. Then stay non-verbal because you can't use words for a long time after the dentist wakes you up.
    – Misti
    Dec 17, 2014 at 16:26
  • Your phrasing doesn't work since "meeting in person" doesn't preclude talking on the phone, which is auditory.
    – Suspended User
    Dec 17, 2014 at 18:00
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Apart from the OP nobody has provided this answer yet:

In high school the students that operated the picture projectors and sound systems belonged to the "audio-visual" club. I believe that is the best answer to the question. Don't change it at all.

"Is it possible to fall in love with someone without visual or audio contact?"

Audio adjective connected with sound and the recording and broadcasting of sound: an audiocasette, audiotape, an audio signal

Audio and visual go together like peanut butter and jelly. The other answers suggested here seem far less usual to me.

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Is it possible to fall in love with someone without the warmth of their gaze or the comfort of their voice?

Is it possible to fall in love with someone without the sights and sounds of your lover?

Is it possible to fall in love with someone without retinal or tympanic excitation?

Just throwin' things out here.

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acoustic (adjective): relating to sound or the sense of hearing.

would this work?

-- A

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  • Welcome to EL&U. StackExchange seeks definitive answers; you should explain why you propose a word, supported with appropriate references and examples, and by the same token if you are not sure about it, you should not suggest it. Acoustic is not commonly used in the sense requested in the original question. In any event, I encourage you to take the site tour and review the help center for additional guidance.
    – choster
    May 20, 2017 at 0:35
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visual - sonic visually - sonically

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  • Welcome to English Language & Usage. An answer really needs to have its sources revealed, otherwise it is simply opinion. You may have a good answer, but it needs to have citations from reputable sources to be taken seriously.
    – J. Taylor
    Feb 21, 2018 at 19:09
  • How does "aural" not fit your bill, please?
    – Robbie Goodwin
    Feb 22, 2018 at 0:08

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