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

Karen has not been able to find any cure or even treatment to ease the pain caused by hyperacusis, which is accompanied by the far more common and widely known tinnitus.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 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