hyper

¹

[ hahy-per ]

adjective

1. overexcited; overstimulated; keyed up.
2. seriously or obsessively concerned; fanatical; rabid:

   She's hyper about noise pollution.

3. hyperactive.

noun

1. a person who is hyper.

hyper

²

[ hahy-per ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a person who promotes or publicizes events, people, etc., especially one who uses flamboyant or questionable methods; promoter; publicist.

hyper-

³

1. a prefix appearing in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “over,” usually implying excess or exaggeration ( hyperbole ); on this model used, especially as opposed to hypo-, in the formation of compound words ( hyperthyroid ).

hyper

¹

/ ˈhaɪpə /

adjective

1. informal.
   overactive; overexcited

hyper-

²

prefix

1. above, over, or in excess

   hypercritical

2. (in medicine) denoting an abnormal excess

   hyperacidity

3. indicating that a chemical compound contains a greater than usual amount of an element

   hyperoxide

hyper–

1. A prefix that means “excessive” or “excessively,” especially in medical terms like hypertension and hyperthyroidism.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hyper¹

First recorded in 1970–75; probably independent use of hyper-

Origin of hyper²

1910–15, Americanism, for an earlier sense; hype ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of hyper³

Greek, representing hypér over, above; cognate with Latin super ( super- ); akin to over

Word History and Origins

Origin of hyper¹

C20: probably independent use of hyper-

Origin of hyper²

from Greek huper over

Example Sentences

And he should ease up on the hyper rhetoric about climate change.

From Los Angeles Times

I talk about American society as a hyper individualist society.

From Los Angeles Times

The trauma of that hyper focus on restrictive budgeting has stuck with Duke even as her financial circumstances have stabilized over the years.

From Salon

Trump’s hyper focus on immigrants today is an “anti-Latino symbolic action” aimed at those same people, Zepeda-Millán said — his way of “doubling down on getting the most racist white Americans out to vote.”

From Los Angeles Times

"Every time he cried I was just sort of shaking - I just got really hyper vigilant and terrified."

From BBC

Related Words

• aggressive
• alive
• bold
• busy
• determined
• diligent
• dynamic
• eager
• energetic
• engaged
• enthusiastic
• forceful
• intense
• keen
• lively
• quick
• ready
• resolute