hyperactive

[ hahy-per-ak-tiv ]

adjective

1. unusually or abnormally active:

   a company's hyperactive growth; the child's hyperactive imagination.

2. (of children) displaying exaggerated physical activity sometimes associated with neurologic or psychologic causes.
3. hyperkinetic.

hyperactive

/ ˌhaɪpərˈæktɪv /

adjective

1. abnormally active

Derived Forms

• ˌhyperˈaction, noun
• ˌhyperacˈtivity, noun

Other Words From

• hy·per·ac·tion [hahy-per-, ak, -sh, uh, n], noun
• hyper·active·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of hyperactive¹

First recorded in 1865–70; hyper- + active

Example Sentences

Don’t take personally the Sagittarius penchant to run away at a moment’s notice to a faraway land promising the stimulation they not just crave but require to fuel their hyperactive brains.

From Los Angeles Times

THC caused certain brain cells, called dopamine neurons, to respond in a hyperactive way, causing a heightened increase in dopamine release.

From Science Daily

As decision day draws near, many Americans become fixated on their hyperactive social media feeds.

From Los Angeles Times

In a statement read to the court, her mother, Esther Ghey, described how Brianna was hyperactive when she was growing up, before she began living as a girl.

From BBC

Gomez has previously been open about about her diagnosis with lupus, an incurable autoimmune disease where the body's immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal tissue.

From BBC

Related Words

• excitable
• high-strung