hyper

1 of 2

adjective

hy·​per ˈhī-pər 

1

: high-strung, excitable

also : highly excited

was a little hyper after drinking too much coffee

2

: extremely active

hyper children

hyper-

2 of 2

prefix

1

: above : beyond : super-

hypermarket

2

a

: excessively

hypersensitive

b

: excessive

hyperemia

3

: that is or exists in a space of more than three dimensions

hyperspace

4

: bridging points within an entity (such as a database or network) nonsequentially

hypertext

Synonyms

Adjective

• excitable
• fiddle-footed
• flighty
• fluttery
• high-strung
• hyperactive
• hyperexcitable
• hyperkinetic
• jittery
• jumpy
• nervous
• skittery
• skittish
• spasmodic
• spooky

Examples of hyper in a Sentence

Adjective

I get a little hyper when I drink too much coffee.

she's so hyper that she's the last person you'd want to turn to in an emergency

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

short for hyperactive

Prefix

Latin hyper-, from Greek, from hyper — more at over

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1942, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing hyper

• hyper-acuity
• hyper-acute
• hyper-aggressive
• hyper-aggressively
• hyper-aggressiveness
• hyper-alert
• hyper-alertness
• hyper-arid
• hyper-arousal
• hyper-aware
• hyper-awareness
• hyper-cautious
• hyper-charged
• hyper-civilized
• hyper-competitive
• hyper-competitiveness
• hyper-concentrated
• hyper-concentration
• hyper-conscious
• hyper-consciousness
• hyper-developed
• hyper-development
• hyper-efficiency
• hyper-efficient
• hyper-efficiently
• hyper-emotional
• hyper-emotionality
• hyper-energetic
• hyper-excitability
• hyper-excitable
• hyper-excited
• hyper-excitement
• hyper-fastidious
• hyper-feminine
• hyper-femininity
• hyper-immune
• hyper-intellectual
• hyper-intelligent
• hyper-intense
• hyper-intensity
• hyper-masculine
• hyper-masculinity
• hyper-modernism
• hyper-modernist
• hyper-nationalistic
• hyper-physical
• hyper-physically
• hyper-producer
• hyper-production
• hyper-productive
• hyper-productivity
• hyper-pure
• hyper-rational
• hyper-rationality
• hyper-reactive
• hyper-reactivity
• hyper-reactor
• hyper-responsive
• hyper-responsiveness
• hyper-responsivity
• hyper-romantic
• hyper-saline
• hyper-salinity
• hyper-secretion
• hyper-stimulate
• hyper-stimulating
• hyper-stimulation
• hyper-tense
• hyper-vigilance
• hyper-vigilant
• hyper-virulence
• hyper-virulent

Kids Definition

hyper-

prefix

1

: above : beyond : super-

2

a

: excessively

hypersensitive

b

: excessive

3

: being or existing in a space of more than three dimensions

hyperspace

4

: connecting things (as in a network) that are not close in a sequence

hypertext

Etymology

Prefix

derived from Greek hyper "over"