hypervigilance

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noun

An enhanced state of sensory sensitivity accompanied by an exaggerated intensity of behaviors whose purpose is to detect threats.

Scrabble 28
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Meanings

nounhypervigilance (uncountable)
  1. uncountableAn enhanced state of sensory sensitivity accompanied by an exaggerated intensity of behaviors whose purpose is to detect threats.

    Studies that support the hypervigilance theory have largely used electrical stimulation or focal pressure to elicit the judgement of pain threshold.

    2012, Winston C.V. Parris, Contemporary Issues in Chronic Pain Management, page 138

Origin

From hyper- + vigilance.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Czech přecitlivělost
  • přecitlivělostan enhanced state of sensory sensitivity
Finnish hypervigilanssi
  • hypervigilanssian enhanced state of sensory sensitivity
Russian сверхбдительность
  • сверхбдительность (sverxbditelʹnostʹ)an enhanced state of sensory sensitivity
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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