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supersensitive

supersensitive

1 7.3
To react strongly to small amounts of things like pollen or food, often causing allergies
  • adjective
  • /ˌsuːpərˈsɛnsɪtɪv/
  • Specialized
translation icon : supersensible
  • But you tell me she's supersensitive, and if you really love her, then have the conversation with her.
  • supersensitive skin
  • supersensitive nerves
  • make his skin supersensitive

Examples

  • During darkness, the visual association areas of the brain, specifically the occipital and temporal lobes, become supersensitive during visual deprivation.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Nokia unfortunately has a WVGA screen, but it comes with ClearBlack and a supersensitive screen. On top of that, it has expandable storage.

    Blog text (22)
  • I always feel when someone isn't circumcised, as though they were more vulnerable or supersensitive, anyway, requiring the most thoughtful attention I can offer.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Hinestroza has made advancements to the electrospinning process that enabled him to create his supersensitive biofilters.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The Finns knew that their great eastern neighbor could be supersensitive and unpredictable, and that some of the most surprising Soviet actions were motivated by considerations never properly analyzed or perceived by the West.

    Academic text (1992)
  • - Yeah, it's not that it didn't feel like the best thing ever, I just--oh, I just know I'm a supersensitive person, and I'm probably gonna turn psychotically obsessed with you If we do it, and then you'll go back to school in California, and your parents are moving away.

  • What a cold eye they cast on life and death, reproving one supersensitive plant who used to sweep the sidewalk outside his front door to be sure he didn't tread on an insect.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • After the allergic reaction, she found her skin was supersensitive to any kind of lotion or cream.

  • He realized that he was supersensitive to pollen, causing severe sneezing during springtime.

  • Many children with certain conditions can be supersensitive to loud noises and bright lights.

Synonyms

allergic
vssupersensitive
258 3.1

Reacting badly to foods, pollen, or animals

is broader, covering strong reactions beyond diagnosed allergies
hypersensitive
vssupersensitive
  • Specialized
2 6.6

Reacting strongly to certain things like foods or pollen and causing allergy symptoms

is the general term for an unusually strong reaction or allergy tendency
hypersensitized
vssupersensitive
  • Specialized
1 8.6

Very sensitive to a substance or trigger after earlier exposure

describes a strong reaction without implying prior exposure
supersensitized
vssupersensitive
  • Literature
9.1

Very sensitive to things like allergens or medicines

is used more generally for unusually strong reactions
sensitized
vssupersensitive
6.8

Allergic to a substance and likely to have a strong reaction

covers strong reactions whether learned or innate
hyperreactive
vssupersensitive
  • Specialized
8.2

Showing a very strong reaction to things like pollen or stress

focuses more on reactions to substances and allergy tendency

Antonyms

20 4.7

Not reacting to touch, sound, or commands

insensitive
  • Specialized
5 4.5

Not affected by things like touch, heat, or light

How Sensitive

supersensitive
  • Specialized
1 7.3
reactive
24 4.3
sensitive
217 2.7

Surface Forms

supersensitive positive
supersensitiver comparative
supersensitivest superlative

Morphology

supersensitive = sensitive (transparent) = super + sensitive

The intensifying prefix 'super-' combines with the familiar adjective 'sensitive' to yield the regular sense 'extremely or excessively sensitive', which is readily inferable by learners.

Etymology

Supersensitive starts with super- meaning 'very' or 'above' and the rest is sensitive, which comes from sense meaning 'to feel'. So supersensitive means someone or something that 'feels' things much more strongly than usual, which is why it is used for strong reactions or allergies.