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Synonyms

hypersensitivity

Cultural  

  1. An excessive or abnormal sensitivity to a substance. A person who is hypersensitive to a certain drug will often suffer a severe allergic reaction (see allergy) if given the drug.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Xofluza can be taken by anyone age 5 or older, but isn’t recommended for pregnant or breast-feeding mothers, or those with a known hypersensitivity to baloxavir marboxil.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026

People with severe ME can be in constant pain, have hypersensitivity to touch and light, feel extremely weak and sometimes have difficulty speaking or swallowing.

From BBC • Oct. 12, 2024

Interestingly, when the hyperactivity of ACC neurons was inhibited using chemogenetic methods, sensory hypersensitivity were normalized, indicating the pivotal role of ACC hyperactivity in sensory hypersensitivity associated with autism.

From Science Daily • May 9, 2024

Now, scientists are linking this hypersensitivity to specific inflammatory chemicals and receptors on airway nerves.

From National Geographic • Jan. 25, 2024

Not only that, hypersensitivity to other humans' reactions is not only normal, it's an evolutionary advantage.

From Salon • Sep. 18, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.