Test
Your
Word IQ! Play Now

hypersensitive

[ hahy-per-sen-si-tiv ]
/ ˌhaɪ pərˈsɛn sɪ tɪv /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR hypersensitive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

excessively sensitive: to be hypersensitive to criticism.
allergic to a substance to which persons do not normally react.

Words related to hypersensitive

soreness, irritability, inflammation, tenderness, susceptibility, rawness, excitability, tenseness, sensitivity, aversion, vulnerability, oversensitivity

Words nearby hypersensitive

hyperresonance, hypersalivation, hypersarcosinemia, hypersecretion, hypersecretory, hypersensitive, hypersensitivity, hypersensitization, hypersensitize, hypersexual, hypersomnia

Origin of hypersensitive

First recorded in 1870–75; hyper- + sensitive

OTHER WORDS FROM hypersensitive

hy·per·sen·si·tive·ness, hy·per·sen·si·tiv·i·ty, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for hypersensitivity

British Dictionary definitions for hypersensitivity

hypersensitive
/ (ˌhaɪpəˈsɛnsɪtɪv) /

adjective

having unduly vulnerable feelings
abnormally sensitive to an allergen, a drug, or other agent

Derived forms of hypersensitive

hypersensitiveness or hypersensitivity, noun
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

Medical definitions for hypersensitivity

hypersensitive
[ hī′pər-sĕn′sĭ-tĭv ]

adj.

Responding excessively to the stimulus of a foreign agent, such as an allergen; abnormally sensitive.

Other words from hypersensitive

hy′per•sen′si•tive•ness null n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Cultural definitions for hypersensitivity

hypersensitivity

An excessive or abnormal sensitivity to a substance. A person who is hypersensitive to a certain drug will often suffer a severe allergic reaction (see allergy) if given the drug.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.