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
- hypersensitiveness noun
- hypersensitivity noun
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.
"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
“I do find it strange since I’m hypersensitive to how others are feeling at any given moment in addition to how I’m feeling at any given moment,” Corazon said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2024
Dale is hypersensitive to incidents when he suspects he is being mistreated because of being on the spectrum.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 12, 2023
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.
