oversensitive

[oh-ver-sen-si-tiv]

adjective

1. excessively or unduly sensitive.

oversensitive

/ ˌəʊvəˈsɛnsɪtɪv /

adjective

1. excessively responsive to or aware of feelings, reactions, etc

Other Word Forms

• oversensitivity noun
• oversensitiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of oversensitive¹

First recorded in 1840–50; over- + sensitive

Example Sentences

"I think growing up undiagnosed, you grow up thinking everything you're doing is wrong because you're different and you then internalise a lot of that so you're very oversensitive as well," she said.

Read more on BBC

The mightiest of Vought’s ultra-marketed superstars, Homelander, played by Antony Starr, is believed by many in the world of “The Boys” to be America’s greatest hero; in reality, he’s an oversensitive, egotistical demagogue.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But we don't know why some people have an oversensitive nervous system - and why it reacts to some things and not others.

Read more on BBC

“The result today is, for some people, that our immune systems are oversensitive, and sometimes they turn on themselves.”

Read more on Seattle Times

Judges and juries ruling on anti-obscenity complaints brought by Comstock often were flying blind, for the material in question could not be mentioned or displayed in court during those oversensitive times.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• conscious 
• delicate 
• emotional 
• hypersensitive 
• keen 
• nervous 
• perceptive 
• precise 
• receptive 
• responsive 
• susceptible 
• tense 
• touchy 
• tricky 
• unstable