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hypervigilant

American  
[hahy-per-vij-uh-luhnt] / ˌhaɪ pərˈvɪdʒ ə lənt /

adjective

  1. especially wary or alert.

    All high school and college coaches need to be hypervigilant about suspected brain injuries.

  2. overly sensitive and reactive to stimuli.

    PTSD sufferers may experience nightmares and heightened anxiety, and they may be hypervigilant and develop an increased startle response.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of hypervigilant

hyper- ( def. ) + vigilant ( def. )

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.

Hypervigilant colleagues and neighbors report each other for supposedly subversive activities.

From Washington Post • Sep. 28, 2022

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