Standard Lemma guide

hyperactive

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˌhaɪpəɹˈæk.tɪv/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ˌhɑepəɹˈæk.tɪv/
  • rhymes with -æktɪv
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AY2 P ER0 AE1 K T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having an increased state of activity

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

having attention deficit disorder (no longer used by the scientific community)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

more active than normal

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a hyperactive child

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: overactive

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Hellenic *hupér Ancient Greek ῠ̔πέρ (hŭpér) Ancient Greek ῠ̔περ- (hŭper-)der. English hyper- Old French actifbor. Middle English actyf English active English hyperactive From hyper- + active.

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: свръхактивен (svrǎhaktiven) — having an increased state of activity
  • Catalan: hiperactiu — having an increased state of activity
  • Czech: hyperaktivní — having an increased state of activity
  • Dutch: hyperactief — having an increased state of activity
  • Finnish: yliaktiivinen — having an increased state of activity
  • Finnish: hyperaktiivinen — having an increased state of activity
  • French: hyperactif — having an increased state of activity
  • German: überaktiv — having an increased state of activity
  • German: hyperaktiv — having an increased state of activity
  • Greek: υπερδραστήριος (yperdrastírios) — having an increased state of activity
  • Hebrew: פְּעַלְתָּן (p'altán) — having an increased state of activity
  • Indonesian: hiperaktif — having an increased state of activity
  • Māori: tou tīrairaka — having an increased state of activity
  • Māori: totoa — having an increased state of activity
  • Polish: nadpobudliwy — having an increased state of activity
  • Russian: гиперакти́вный (giperaktívnyj) — having an increased state of activity
  • Russian: чрезме́рно акти́вный (črezmérno aktívnyj) — having an increased state of activity
  • Ukrainian: гіперакти́вний (hiperaktývnyj) — having an increased state of activity
  • Welsh: gorfywiog — having an increased state of activity
  • Catalan: hiperactiu — having attention deficit disorder
  • Dutch: hyperactief — having attention deficit disorder
  • German: hyperaktiv — having attention deficit disorder
  • Polish: nadpobudliwy — having attention deficit disorder