English Reference
adjective · verb

hyper

adj. · v.
US /ˈhaɪpɝ/ UK /hˈaɪpɐ/ hy·per

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    adj.having too much energy and unable to sit still or relax.

    adj.exhibiting excessive energy, excitement, or nervousness; often used as a clipping of 'hyperactive'.

    Simple

    The kids were totally hyper after eating all that birthday cake.

    In context

    The puppy becomes incredibly hyper whenever a guest arrives, racing around the living room until he eventually exhausts himself.

  2. 02 C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    v.to treat film so it can take better pictures of stars and space.

    v.to subject a film or plate to hypersensitization to increase its speed for low-light conditions.

    Simple

    He learned how to hyper his film to get clearer shots of the night sky.

    In context

    Astrophotographers often hyper their film using a mixture of gases to capture the faint light of distant nebulae during long exposures.

    Usage

    The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, typically 'film' or 'plate'.

    sensitize

He even looks a little unusual in an era of hyper‑athletes.

The Guardian· 28 Aug 2026

Shortenings, all ultimately from the prefix hyper-.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated