hyperexcitable

adjective

hy·​per·​ex·​cit·​able ˌhī-pər-ik-ˈsī-tə-bəl 

variants or hyper-excitable

: extremely or excessively excitable

hyperexcitable children

Dr. Walters believes that for a nerve cell to become hyperexcitable when it or its neighbor has been injured makes evolutionary sense.

—Natalie Angier

hyperexcitability

ˌhī-pər-ik-ˌsī-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

or hyper-excitability

hyperexcitability of motor neurons

a medication that can cause hyperexcitability

Synonyms

• excitable
• fiddle-footed
• flighty
• fluttery
• high-strung
• hyper
• hyperactive
• hyperkinetic
• jittery
• jumpy
• nervous
• skittery
• skittish
• spasmodic
• spooky

Examples of hyperexcitable in a Sentence

those hyperexcitable contestants on TV game shows who celebrate winning by jumping up and down uncontrollably

Recent Examples on the Web

The synesthesia is locked in, and the hyperexcitable visual cortex no longer drives it. —Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 18 Nov. 2011

Word History

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined above