hypervigilant
adjective
hy·per·vig·i·lant
ˌhī-pər-ˈvi-jə-lənt 
variants
or hyper-vigilant
: extremely or excessively vigilant : highly or abnormally alert to potential danger or threat
After an accident or an assault, most people tend to feel unsafe, to have a reduced startle threshold, and to be hypervigilant.—
Irvin D. Yalom
Irvin D. YalomThrough its hypervigilant security measures, this state-run airline keeps its passengers safe from everyone except its own surly flight attendants.—Craig Offman
Craig OffmanWe all have to be hyper-vigilant about our own affairs and those of our kids and elderly loved ones.—Teresa Dixon Murray
Teresa Dixon MurrayExamples of hypervigilant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rutherford makes Agathe appear at once hypervigilant and flummoxed, and perhaps this is the truest Austen touch in the movie.
—Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 21 May 2025
In other words, a hypervigilant defense system could go haywire and attack one’s own body.
—Kermit Pattison, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
In the months following the Drake and Lamar beef, fans have become hypervigilant of every piece of news, labeling each tidbit as a win (W) for their person or a loss (L) for the other.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2025
To suss them out, skywatchers stay hypervigilant for any one-off dip in starlight when a rogue planet crosses serendipitously in front of a star.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hypervigilant
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Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 21 May 2025
In other words, a hypervigilant defense system could go haywire and attack one’s own body.
—Kermit Pattison, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
In the months following the Drake and Lamar beef, fans have become hypervigilant of every piece of news, labeling each tidbit as a win (W) for their person or a loss (L) for the other.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2025
To suss them out, skywatchers stay hypervigilant for any one-off dip in starlight when a rogue planet crosses serendipitously in front of a star.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hypervigilant
Cite this Entry
“Hypervigilant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypervigilant. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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