hypersensitivity

noun

Any heightened immune response to an antigen; an allergy; hypersensation.

Less commonScrabble 30

Meanings

nounhypersensitivity (countable and uncountable, plural hypersensitivities)

plural hypersensitivities

  1. countableuncountableAny heightened immune response to an antigen; an allergy; hypersensation.
  2. countableuncountableThe state of being easily offended or hurt.

    "I might say," remarked Professor Richet, "that the hyper-sensibility is moral as well as physical. Panbek is impressionable and full of emotion, with the temperament of the poet and all those little weaknesses, if we may call them so, which the poet pays as a ransom for his gifts."

    1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019
    1 more example

    If our universities are teaching students that their emotions can be used effectively as weapons—or at least as evidence in administrative proceedings—then they are teaching students to nurture a kind of hypersensitivity that will lead them into countless drawn-out conflicts in college and beyond.

    2015, The Atlantic, G. Lukianoff, J. Haidt, The Coddling of the American Mind

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*úp
  2. Proto-Indo-European*upér
  3. Proto-Hellenic*hupér
  4. Ancient Greekῠ̔πέρ (hŭpér)
  5. Ancient Greekῠ̔περ- (hŭper-)
  6. Englishhyper-
  7. Englishsensitivity
  8. Englishhypersensitivity

From hyper- + sensitivity.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan hipersensibilitat
  • hipersensibilitatheightened immune response to an antigen
Chinese Mandarin 過敏症 /过敏症
  • 過敏症 /过敏症 (guòmǐnzhèng)heightened immune response to an antigen
Czech přecitlivělost
  • přecitlivělostheightened immune response to an antigen
French hypersensibilité
  • hypersensibilitéheightened immune response to an antigen
German Überempfindlichkeit
  • Überempfindlichkeitheightened immune response to an antigen
Irish hipiríogaireacht
  • hipiríogaireachtheightened immune response to an antigen
Italian ipersensibilità
  • ipersensibilitàheightened immune response to an antigen
Japanese 過敏症
  • 過敏症 (kabinshō)heightened immune response to an antigen
Korean 과민성
  • 과민성 (gwaminseong)heightened immune response to an antigen
Portuguese hipersensibilidade
  • hipersensibilidadeheightened immune response to an antigen
Romanian hipersensibilitate
  • hipersensibilitateheightened immune response to an antigen
Russian гиперчувстви́тельность
  • гиперчувстви́тельность (giperčuvstvítelʹnostʹ)heightened immune response to an antigen
Spanish hipersensibilidad
  • hipersensibilidadheightened immune response to an antigen
Swedish överkänslighet
  • överkänslighetheightened immune response to an antigen
Cite this entry
APA

hypersensitivity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hypersensitivity

MLA

“hypersensitivity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hypersensitivity. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hypersensitivity,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hypersensitivity.

Source: hypersensitivity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.