Meaning & use
hyperemotional
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Having emotions that are much stronger or more easily triggered than usual.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a hyperemotional child; the child seems hyperemotional.
Patterns
- be hyperemotional
- a hyperemotional person
- a hyperemotional reaction
After the accident, he became hyperemotional and cried at the smallest things.
The therapist explained that teenagers can be hyperemotional because of changing hormones.
Her hyperemotional response to the news surprised everyone in the office.
adjectivecomparable
Describing a situation, event, or piece of art that produces very intense feelings.
Grammar: Often used before nouns like 'scene', 'speech', or 'reunion'.
Patterns
- a hyperemotional scene
- a hyperemotional speech
- a hyperemotional reunion
The film's hyperemotional ending left the whole audience in tears.
His hyperemotional speech at the wedding made even the waiters cry.
The reunion was hyperemotional after twenty years apart.
Word forms
| comparative | more hyperemotional |
|---|---|
| superlative | most hyperemotional |
Common combinations
- hyperemotional reaction
- She had a hyperemotional reaction to the criticism.
- become hyperemotional
- He becomes hyperemotional when he drinks.
- hyperemotional state
- The patient was in a hyperemotional state after the diagnosis.
- hyperemotional response
- The teacher's hyperemotional response made the class uncomfortable.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overemotional
- Very similar, but often suggests that the emotion is too much for the situation and is slightly disapproving.
- hypersensitive
- Focuses on being easily hurt or offended, not on having strong emotions in general.
- highly strung
- British, describes a nervous, easily upset person; less clinical than hyperemotional.
Opposites
Word family
- hyperemotion noun
- The state of having extremely strong emotions.
- hyperemotionality noun
- The quality or condition of being hyperemotional.
Commonly confused: hyperemotional or hypoemotional?
hyperemotional vs hypoemotional
The opposite: having unusually weak or flat emotions. The prefixes hyper- (too much) and hypo- (too little) are easy to mix up.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hyperemotional' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Hyperemotional means having very strong or easily triggered emotions, so crying for hours fits. Laughing, solving math, and eating vegetables do not show unusually intense emotion.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hyperemotional”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.