hyperresponsive

adjective

hy·​per·​re·​spon·​sive ˌhī-pər-ri-ˈspän(t)-siv 

variants or hyper-responsive

: characterized by an abnormal degree of responsiveness (as to a physical or emotional stimulus)

The biochemical barrage, which would be helpful were it directed at a foreign invader, provokes sustained inflammation of the airway lining. And, perversely, it makes the tissue much more sensitive (or hyperresponsive) to the original trigger.

—Stephen Hoffmann

Studies … have shown a hyperresponsive amygdala and impaired inhibition from the prefrontal cortex during tasks involving exposure to facial expressions, reactions to emotionally charged words, and interpersonal cooperation.

—John G. Gunderson

hyperresponsiveness

ˌhī-pər-ri-ˈspän(t)-siv-nəs 

noun

or hyper-responsiveness

Measurements of airway hyperresponsiveness, although not sufficiently sensitive or specific to provide a definite diagnosis of asthma, are closely correlated with clinical assessments of the presence and severity of the disease.

—M. R. Sears et al.

hyperresponsivity

ˌhī-pər-ri-ˌspän(t)-ˈsi-və-tē 

noun

or hyper-responsivity

bronchial hyperresponsivity

Examples of hyperresponsive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In some cases, however, that process becomes hyperresponsive, and excess cytokines are released. —Verywell Health, 27 Jan. 2023

This sobering realization quickly spread from the sciences to the humanities, provoking reimagination of their disciplines to incorporate the Earth no longer as a passive and stable backcloth for the human adventure, but as an active, hyperresponsive and dangerous actor. —Colin Waters, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

hyperresponsive

adjective

hy·​per·​re·​spon·​sive -ri-ˈspän(t)-siv 

: characterized by an abnormal degree of responsiveness (as to a physical or emotional stimulus)

… it makes the tissue much more sensitive (or hyperresponsive) to the original trigger.

—Stephen Hoffmann, The Harvard Medical School Health Letter

hyperresponsiveness

-nəs 

noun

The presence of airway hyperresponsiveness to exercise suggests lack of control of asthma.

—Johnathan A. Leff et al., The New England Journal of Medicine

hyperresponsivity

-ri-ˌspän(t)-ˈsiv-ət-ē 

noun

plural hyperresponsivities

adrenocortical hyperresponsivity

hyperresponsivities to touch and sound