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hyper1

[hahy-per]Informal.
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adjective
  1. overexcited; overstimulated; keyed up.
  2. seriously or obsessively concerned; fanatical; rabid: She's hyper about noise pollution.
  3. hyperactive.
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noun
  1. a person who is hyper.
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Origin of hyper1

First recorded in 1970–75; probably independent use of hyper-

hyper2

[hahy-per]
noun Informal.
  1. a person who promotes or publicizes events, people, etc., especially one who uses flamboyant or questionable methods; promoter; publicist.
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Origin of hyper2

1910–15, Americanism, for an earlier sense; hype1 + -er1

hyper-

  1. a prefix appearing in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “over,” usually implying excess or exaggeration (hyperbole); on this model used, especially as opposed to hypo-, in the formation of compound words (hyperthyroid).
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Compare super-.

Origin of hyper-

Greek, representing hypér over, above; cognate with Latin super (see super-); akin to over
Can be confusedhyper- hypo-
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for hyper

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • I know what it's like to be three thousand hours in hyper, myself.

    Space Viking

    Henry Beam Piper

  • We could hyper, of course, but we were blind up there in Cth.

    A Question of Courage

    Jesse Franklin Bone

  • It led naturally to the employment of Hyper- in the inverse sense, viz.

  • Why is it then that, at this moment, I feel inclined to be hyper critical and disparaging?

    Barren Honour: A Novel

    George A. Lawrence

  • You give me a quarter on hyper and we'll go right through that planet!

    Danger in Deep Space

    Carey Rockwell

British Dictionary definitions for hyper

hyper

adjective
  1. informal overactive; overexcited
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Word Origin

C20: probably independent use of hyper-

hyper-

prefix
  1. above, over, or in excesshypercritical
  2. (in medicine) denoting an abnormal excesshyperacidity
  3. indicating that a chemical compound contains a greater than usual amount of an elementhyperoxide
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Word Origin

from Greek huper over
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hyper

adj.

1942 as a colloquial shortening of hyperactive.

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hyper-

word-forming element meaning "over, above, beyond, exceedingly, to excess," from Greek hyper (prep. and adv.) "over, beyond, overmuch, above measure," from PIE super- "over" (see super-).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
hyper in Medicine

hyper-

pref.
  1. Over; above; beyond:hyperflexion.
  2. Excessive; excessively:hyperhydration.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
hyper in Science

hyper-

  1. A prefix that means “excessive” or “excessively,” especially in medical terms like hypertension and hyperthyroidism.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.