Which one should you use?
While entumecimiento is a general term, adormecimiento specifically refers to the sensation of limbs or body parts falling asleep or becoming numb due to pressure or restricted blood flow. If you are describing the sensation of 'pins and needles' as a limb wakes up, the informal term hormigueo is more appropriate. In a medical context, insensibilidad is occasionally used for numbness, while anestesia is used specifically for induced numbness during dental or surgical procedures.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions, particularly in Latin America, calambre is used to describe sensations that are numbing or cramping.
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe a person or a body part as being numb, you can use the adjective entumecido for masculine nouns or entumecida for feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/entumeθiˈmjento/
Did you know?
- The word hormigueo for 'pins and needles' literally means 'ant-ing', coming from hormiga which means 'ant'. It describes the sensation as if tiny ants were crawling over the skin.
- While entumecimiento describes the state of numbness, the related word entumecido can be used metaphorically to describe someone who is emotionally frozen or unresponsive to a situation.
- The suffix -miento in entumecimiento descends from the Late Latin -mentum, making it a distant relative of the English suffix -ment.
Examples in context
- Siempre me levanto con hormigueo en los pies.I always wake up with tingling in my feet.
- Mi abuela sufre entumecimiento en la mano izquierda.My grandmother experiences numbness in her left hand.
- Doctor, últimamente he experimentado un adormecimiento constante en mis piernas.Doctor, lately I have been experiencing constant numbness in my legs.
- Siento un entumecimiento en la pierna.I feel a numbness in my leg.
- Siento un entumecimiento en la mano.I feel a numbness in my hand.
- El entumecimiento en mis piernas es constante.The numbness in my legs is constant.
- Ese entumecimiento en el brazo es preocupante.That numbness in the arm is worrying.
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are talking about a health concern in their living room.
- Javier¿Sientes algún entumecimiento en los dedos?Do you feel any numbness in your fingers?
- SofíaSí, Javier, tengo un poco de entumecimiento.Yes, Javier, I have a little numbness.
- JavierDeberías consultar con un médico pronto.You should consult a doctor soon.
- SofíaTienes razón, lo llamaré mañana.You are right, I will call him tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “numbness” translations and entries entumecimiento, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries entumecimiento, CC BY-SA 4.0.
