Standard Lemma guide

hyperacusis

noun · 2 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

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  • General-American: /ˌhaɪ.pəɹ.əˈkjuː.sɪs/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A heightened sensitivity to some sounds, especially extremely loud noises.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

abnormal acuteness of hearing due to increased irritability of the sensory neural mechanism; characterized by intolerance for ordinary sound levels

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hyperacusia, auditory hyperesthesia

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hearing impairment, hearing disorder

History

Etymology

From hyper- + -acusis.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: hiperacúsia — heightened sensitivity to some sounds
  • Finnish: ääniyliherkkyys — heightened sensitivity to some sounds
  • Finnish: hyperakusia — heightened sensitivity to some sounds
  • French: hyperacousie — heightened sensitivity to some sounds
  • Italian: iperacusia — heightened sensitivity to some sounds
  • Turkish: hiperakuzi — heightened sensitivity to some sounds