Meanings
- uncountablemedicineA disorienting neurological condition involving micropsia, macropsia, or size distortion of other sensory modalities.
Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) is characterized by visual hallucinations and bizarre perceptual distortions.
1998 August, Yung-Ting Kuo, Nan-Chang Chiu, Ein-Yiao Shen, Che-Sheng Ho, Ming-CheWu, “Cerebral perfusion in children with Alice in Wonderland syndrome”, in Pediatric neurology, volume 19, number 2, page 1052 more examples
Three cases of "Alice in Wonderland" syndrome (metamorphopsia) are presented and described as a presenting symptom of infectious mono nucleosis in a preadolescent male and in two late teenage females.
1977 February, Stuart M. Copperman, “" Alice in Wonderland" Syndrome as a Presenting Symptom of Infectious Mononucleosis in Children: A Description of Three Affected Young People”, in Clinical pediatrics, volume 16, number 2, page 143After all, Alice in Wonderland syndrome was, until recently, believed to be so rare that most university courses in medicine, psychology and the neurosciences did not even bother to address it.
2019, Jan Dirk Blom, Alice in Wonderland SyndromeSynonyms: Todd's syndrome
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA disorienting neurological condition involving micropsia, macropsia, or size distortion of other sensory modalities.
Origin
After Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865; often known as Alice in Wonderland), in which the protagonist changes size after consuming a potion and a cake.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish Liisa ihmemaassa -syndrooma
- Liisa ihmemaassa -syndroomaneurological condition affecting the perception of size
French syndrome d'Alice au pays des merveilles
- syndrome d'Alice au pays des merveillesneurological condition affecting the perception of size
Japanese 不思議の国のアリス症候群
- 不思議の国のアリス症候群 (Fushigi no Kuni no Arisu shōkōgun)neurological condition affecting the perception of size
Polish zespół Alicji w Krainie Czarów
- zespół Alicji w Krainie Czarówneurological condition affecting the perception of size
Portuguese síndrome de Alice no país das maravilhas
- síndrome de Alice no país das maravilhasneurological condition affecting the perception of size
Cite this entry
Alice in Wonderland syndrome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Alice%20in%20Wonderland%20syndrome
“Alice in Wonderland syndrome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Alice%20in%20Wonderland%20syndrome. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Alice in Wonderland syndrome,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Alice%20in%20Wonderland%20syndrome.
Source: Alice in Wonderland syndrome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.