hypersensitive
Americanadjective
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excessively sensitive.
to be hypersensitive to criticism.
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allergic to a substance to which persons do not normally react.
adjective
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having unduly vulnerable feelings
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abnormally sensitive to an allergen, a drug, or other agent
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hypersensitive
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.
It is understandable that investors are hypersensitive to future risks for Visa.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
"The Gardener’s Cat" features Louis, a hypersensitive gardener devastated by the impending loss of his kitten, which has a tumour.
From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026
The death of a 13-year-old girl who died of a hypersensitive anaphylactic reaction after drinking a Costa Coffee hot chocolate should be a "wake up call" to all food companies, campaigners say.
From BBC • Aug. 17, 2024
Research has shown that lonely people are hypersensitive to negative social words, such as “disliked” or “rejected,” and to faces expressing negative emotions.
From Seattle Times • May 10, 2024
Abelman, unfortunately, was apparently a rather petty person, a man too small to accept a little criticism, a hypersensitive molecule of a human.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
