hypersensitive

adjective

hy·​per·​sen·​si·​tive ˌhī-pər-ˈsen(t)-s(ə-)tiv 

1

: excessively or abnormally sensitive

2

: abnormally susceptible physiologically to a specific agent (such as a drug or antigen)

hypersensitiveness noun

hypersensitivity

ˌhī-pər-ˌsen(t)-sə-ˈti-və-tē 

noun

Examples of hypersensitive in a Sentence

She's hypersensitive about her past.

People who are hypersensitive to the chemical may have violent reactions even to small amounts.

Recent Examples on the Web

Later, many grew hypersensitive to their environments, triggered by foods, fragrances, exhaust, and cleaning agents that hadn’t bothered them before. —Kate Raphael, Discover Magazine, 23 June 2025

Lee was an editor, writer, ringleader and often the initial spark for a new character: What about a blind lawyer who fights crime using his other hypersensitive senses and was kind of a daredevil? —Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025

What used to be a politics of tolerance and inclusion is now seen—often rightly—as obsessed with identity, hypersensitive to offense, and incapable of self-criticism. —MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025

Only 14 percent of people who reported being extremely hypersensitive to cold had varicose veins. —Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 15 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hypersensitive

• photosensitive
• insensitive
• radiosensitive
• sensitive

Kids Definition

hypersensitive

adjective

hy·​per·​sen·​si·​tive ˌhī-pər-ˈsen(t)-sət-iv 

-ˈsen(t)-stiv

: very sensitive especially to an abnormal degree

hypersensitiveness noun

Medical Definition

hypersensitive

adjective

hy·​per·​sen·​si·​tive ˌhī-pər-ˈsen(t)-sət-iv, -ˈsen(t)-stiv 

1

: excessively or abnormally sensitive

2

: abnormally susceptible physiologically to a specific agent (as a drug or antigen)

hypersensitiveness noun

hypersensitivity

-ˌsen(t)-sə-ˈtiv-ət-ē 

noun

plural hypersensitivities