hypersensitizing
|hy-per-sen-si-tize-ing|
🇺🇸
/ˌhaɪpərˈsɛnsɪtaɪz/
🇬🇧
/ˌhaɪpə(r)ˈsɛnsɪtaɪz/
(hypersensitize)
make overly sensitive
Etymology
'hypersensitize' originates from Greek prefix 'hyper-' (from Greek 'huper') meaning 'over' or 'beyond', combined with English 'sensitize' (from Latin root 'sensus'/'sentire' via Old French/English).
'hypersensitize' formed in modern English by prefixing 'hyper-' to 'sensitize'. 'Sensitize' derives from Latin 'sensus' (from 'sentire', 'to feel') → Old French/English 'sense'/'sensitive' → English verb 'sensitize' (19th century), then combined with 'hyper-' to produce 'hypersensitize'.
Initially the root 'sense/sentire' related to 'feeling' or 'perception'; over time 'sensitize' came to mean 'to make sensitive', and 'hypersensitize' has further specialized to mean 'to make excessively or overly sensitive'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
present participle or gerund form of 'hypersensitize' — acting to make or causing to become excessively sensitive.
The new topical cream was hypersensitizing patients' skin, making them react to sunlight.
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Adjective 1
used attributively to describe an agent or process that causes increased or excessive sensitivity.
Researchers warned about a hypersensitizing agent that amplified allergic responses in the study.
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Last updated: 2025/11/21 15:31