hypervigilant

adjective

hy·​per·​vig·​i·​lant ˌhī-pər-ˈvi-jə-lənt 

variants or hyper-vigilant

: extremely or excessively vigilant : highly or abnormally alert to potential danger or threat

After an accident or an assault, most people tend to feel unsafe, to have a reduced startle threshold, and to be hypervigilant.

—Irvin D. Yalom

Through its hypervigilant security measures, this state-run airline keeps its passengers safe from everyone except its own surly flight attendants.

—Craig Offman

We all have to be hyper-vigilant about our own affairs and those of our kids and elderly loved ones.

—Teresa Dixon Murray

Examples of hypervigilant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Woodland shared one incident of being hypervigilant. —ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026

But Bart is hypervigilant about his son’s fragile health and tries to discourage him from joining the band on the road. —Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026

When expectations are unclear, like those communicated by busy bosses, teachers or healthcare providers, people become hypervigilant. —Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2026

And in a world where daily messages now top a trillion, that hypervigilant regulation becomes necessary. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1905, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hypervigilant

• vigilant