Skip to main content

Diegetic

A sound which can be paired with what is happening in a film or on TV, and is either visible, or is relevant to the action.

Non-diegetic means a sound that cannot be seen on screen, nor has any direct relevance.
Diegetic:- A war film with people firing guns, and some of the shot sounds can be seen on screen, while others cant, but remain relevant to the action.

Non-Diegetic:- A war film with the sound of a cymbal crashing shortly before someone firing. The sound is not relevant to what is happening, nor is implied to be happening on or off screen.
by MonopolyTycoon February 9, 2010
mugGet the Diegetic mug.

diegetic

Diegetic, in the cinema, typically refers to the internal world created by the story that the characters themselves experience and encounter: the narrative "space" that includes all the parts of the story, both those that are and those that are not actually shown on the screen (such as events that have led up to the present action; people who are being talked about; or events that are presumed to have happened elsewhere). This word is occasionally used in Jack Johnson's songs.
(from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Well mama said
You can't believe everything you hear
The diegetic world is so unclear...
by pofke October 30, 2008
mugGet the diegetic mug.
Related Words

diagetic

As told or recounted rather than shown. Derived from diagesis, a style of fiction. In diagesis, a narrator tells a story. It has stood in contrast with mimesis -- in which you are shown rather than told -- since Aristotelean times.

When Jack Johnson sings about the diagetic world, he is talking about the world you are told about, and complaining that you can't accept the narrative that you hear.

Alternately, one can think of the Director's cut of Blade Runner as more mimetic, forcing you to put things together, while the one that was put in theatres with the voice overs to fill in the gaps as a more diagetic presentation.

This word is probably a bit uppity for this place, but it doesn't appear in the dictionary, and two incorrect definitions have already been given.
You can't believe everything you hear

The DIAGETIC world is so unclear

So baby close your ears

On the news tonight
by monadologist April 25, 2011
mugGet the diagetic mug.

diagetic

Used in Jack Johnson's songs, not in most dictionaries...

-A diagetic sound is a dialoge (non-diagetic is backround music)
You can't believe everything you hear
The DIAGETIC world is so unclear
So baby close your ears
On the news tonight

The "diagetic world" is defined by the conversations that take place in this world, specifically what they say on the news
by filfromfiladelfia4 March 30, 2007
mugGet the diagetic mug.

diagetic

a word describing the sad state of the world in a jack johnson song which, according to multiple sources including webster's, is not a word at all
"...the diagetic world is so unclear"
by bgizzle July 27, 2006
mugGet the diagetic mug.

diagetic

It's diagetic sound, usually music, when it's coming from something inside the movie. Usually, the characters can hear it, too. It's the opposite of background music.
When Jack Johnson said "the diagetic world is so unclear" he was mocking people who "put the BACKGROUND music behind the news tonight." The news audience needs non-diagetic sound (music) to tell them how to react to news, as if it were a movie. Even movies sometimes have only diagetic sound.
by MarDiablito July 8, 2021
mugGet the diagetic mug.

Dietetical Acrasia

the lack of self-control in limiting oneself to a particular diet
In 3065, food eating competitions became legalized once again & people could not stop indulging after 30 years of food restrictions. As a result, "dietetical acrasia" became legal once again.
by MorPhilosophy August 20, 2022
mugGet the Dietetical Acrasia mug.

Share this definition

Sign in to vote

We'll email you a link to sign in instantly.

Or

Check your email

We sent a link to

Open your email