ESP
6 synonyms for ESP, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The supposed ability to gain information without using the ordinary senses, for example by telepathy, clairvoyance or precognition.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use ESP
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
believe in ESP
tests of ESP
a kind of ESP
'ESP' for extrasensory perception is spoken; 'esp.' for 'especially' is written only.
Etymology
An initialism of 'extrasensory perception' in the main sense; the written abbreviation 'esp.' is simply a clipping of 'especially'.
Full origin of ESP →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ESP and intuition?
Intuition is a fast judgement drawn from experience and cues you have not consciously noticed, and it is well documented. ESP claims knowledge obtained with no sensory input at all, which mainstream science does not accept as demonstrated.
Is there scientific evidence for ESP?
Decades of experiments, most famously card-guessing and Ganzfeld studies, have produced occasional positive results, but none that hold up reliably when independent teams repeat them under tight controls. The scientific consensus is that ESP has not been shown to exist.
What are the main types of ESP said to exist?
The usual categories are telepathy, reading another mind; clairvoyance, perceiving distant objects or events; and precognition, knowing something before it happens. Psychokinesis, affecting objects by thought, is often grouped with them but is technically a different claim.
