supersensitised

Thân thiện

A child who is supersensitised to pollen sneezes near a flowering plant.

Definition

Adjective: * Supersensitised describes a state of having an abnormally heightened or extreme sensitivity to a particular substance or factor. This sensitivity is often an allergic reaction, meaning the body's immune system overreacts to something that is typically harmless to others.

Usage and Examples

The adjective supersensitised is used to describe a person or organism that reacts very strongly to a specific agent. * After the bee sting, he became supersensitised to insect venom and now carries an epinephrine injector. * The patient's skin was supersensitised to the chemical, resulting in a severe rash upon minimal contact. * Years of working with the dye left her supersensitised, causing respiratory issues even at low exposure levels.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• The term is often used in medical, biological, or chemical contexts to describe a pathological or acquired state of hypersensitivity.
• It implies that the sensitivity is beyond the normal range and can lead to adverse or dangerous reactions.
• Supersensitised can sometimes be used metaphorically in non-medical contexts to describe an extreme emotional or psychological sensitivity to a topic, though this is less common.
  • After the scandal, the politician was supersensitised to any mention of campaign finance in the media.

Variants and Related Words

• Supersensitive (adjective): A more common synonym with the same core meaning of excessively sensitive.
• Hypersensitive (adjective): The most standard and frequently used term, meaning excessively or abnormally sensitive. This is often the preferred word in both medical and general contexts.
• Allergic (adjective): Specifically implies a hypersensitivity where exposure triggers an immune system response.
• Supersensitize (verb): To cause someone or something to become supersensitised.
  • Repeated exposure can supersensitize the immune system.

Synonyms

• Hypersensitive
• Allergic
• Overly sensitive
• Supersensitive
• Atopic (medical term for a genetic tendency to develop allergic diseases)

Antonyms

• Insensitive
• Tolerant
• Non-allergic
• Unresponsive
• Resilient

Học thuật

Adjective

1. having an allergy or peculiar or excessive susceptibility (especially to a specific factor)
   • allergic children
   • hypersensitive to pollen

Từ đồng nghĩa

• allergic
• hypersensitive
• hypersensitized
• hypersensitised
• sensitized
• sensitised
• supersensitive
• supersensitized