hyperacusis

American  

[hahy-per-uh-kyoo-sis] / haɪ pər əˈkyu sɪs /

noun

1. a disorder characterized by hearing everyday sounds at an increased and often painful volume.

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Example Sentences

I suffer from a condition called hyperacusis, where loud noises can cause ear pain lasting for days or even weeks.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2025

She was diagnosed with severe tinnitus and hyperacusis - a reduced tolerance to sound - and began to spend a lot of time in the woods near her home in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2024

And don’t aggravate the artist’s hyperacusis, a hearing disorder in which ordinary sounds can be painful, and the reason that Merritt switched from guitar to ukulele and Gonson from drums to piano.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 11, 2018

I think the word is hyperacusis, which is extreme sensitivity, and it’s the stage before tinnitus.

From The Verge • Jun. 1, 2018

Then we come to that apparent contradiction in terms, hyperacusis, where loud and therefore audible noises, like drums, instead of being welcome are truly painful.

From The Guardian • Sep. 7, 2010