# The Inability to Taste/Smell--What're They Called?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inability-to-taste-smell-whatre-they-called/145426
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 29, 2002, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inability-to-taste-smell-whatre-they-called/145426 "2002-12-29T00:31:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inability-to-taste-smell-whatre-they-called/145426/1 "2002-12-29T00:31:05Z")
The other night I was thinking about the ‘would you rather be deaf or blind’ question, and it occured to me that, as far as I know, we don’t have English words for the inability to smell, or the inability to taste. Does anyone know, first of all, of any cases in which people have been born this way, and what the names of these conditions are called, respectively?
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### Author:  [@Catfood\_Purrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catfood_Purrito)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inability-to-taste-smell-whatre-they-called/145426/2 "2002-12-29T00:38:18Z")
Anosmia is loss of the sense of smell, and ageusia is loss of the sense of taste. If you go here: [http://www.uchc.edu/uconntasteandsmell/gen.html](http://www.uchc.edu/uconntasteandsmell/gen.html), there’s some pretty good general information on both.
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### Author:  [@hammerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammerbach)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inability-to-taste-smell-whatre-they-called/145426/3 "2002-12-29T00:38:29Z")
[Anosmia.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_149.html)
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### Author:  [@Splanky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Splanky)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inability-to-taste-smell-whatre-they-called/145426/4 "2002-12-29T00:38:56Z")
The Master speaks: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_149.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_149.html)
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### Author:  [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inability-to-taste-smell-whatre-they-called/145426/5 "2002-12-29T00:40:12Z")
My sister has a close friend that cannot smell, although if something is strong enough, such as exhaust from heavy machinery, she can ‘taste’ it.
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### Author:  [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inability-to-taste-smell-whatre-they-called/145426/6 "2002-12-29T01:00:12Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Splanky \*
> \*\*The Master speaks: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_149.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_149.html) \*\*
Blah…I should have known.
Thanks!
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### Author:  [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inability-to-taste-smell-whatre-they-called/145426/7 "2002-12-29T03:29:32Z")
Is there a corresponding inability to use your sense of touch? What would you call someone who has no tactile senses?