supersensitive

adjective

su·​per·​sen·​si·​tive ˌsü-pər-ˈsen(t)-sə-tiv How to pronounce supersensitive (audio)
: extremely sensitive
supersensitive detectors
supersensitive to criticism
The medicine made her skin supersensitive.
… casually downloaded reams of supersensitive U.S. nuclear-weapons data …Mark Hosenball
supersensitivity noun
plural supersensitivities
supersensitivity to light

Examples of supersensitive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The problem is that investors are supersensitive to the Fed’s views. James MacKintosh, WSJ, 22 June 2021 Better to stick with your Swedish clogs and Ulla Johnson dresses, and your membership at the food co-op, than to risk the wrath of hungry, countryside-roaming alien beasties with terrible eyesight but supersensitive hearing. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 26 May 2021 Exterminators today are taking a cue from law enforcement and turning to dogs' supersensitive noses for smelling bed bugs, ants, and termites. Adam Hadhazy, Popular Mechanics, 9 Mar. 2021 Now, researchers are pushing to build a final generation of supersensitive detectors — or one ‘ultimate’ detector — that will leave the particles no place to hide. Elizabeth Gibney, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2020 That’s even true for the supersensitive Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), 66 radio telescopes high in the Chilean Andes that work together as a single instrument. Daniel Clery, Science | AAAS, 12 Aug. 2020 Neutrinos can’t escape from black holes, and the supersensitive Super-K will be able to detect a telltale stream of neutrinos that suddenly shuts down. Dolly Setton, Discover Magazine, 30 July 2014

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'supersensitive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of supersensitive was in 1817

Dictionary Entries Near supersensitive

Cite this Entry

“Supersensitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supersensitive. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

supersensitive

adjective
su·​per·​sen·​si·​tive
ˌsü-pər-ˈsen(t)-sət-iv,
-ˈsen(t)-stiv
supersensitivity
-ˌsen(t)-sə-ˈtiv-ət-ē
noun

Medical Definition

supersensitive

adjective
su·​per·​sen·​si·​tive -ˈsen(t)-sət-iv, -ˈsen(t)-stiv How to pronounce supersensitive (audio)
supersensitivity noun
plural supersensitivities

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