hyperacute

adjective

hy·​per·​acute ˌhī-pər-ə-ˈkyüt How to pronounce hyperacute (audio)
variants or hyper-acute
: extremely or excessively acute
a hyperacute sensitivity to light
… the problem of hyperacute rejection—a violent immune response that can destroy a transplanted organ in minutes …Arlene Judith Klotzko

Examples of hyperacute in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Southmead Hospital, about an hour's drive from Gatcombe Park, specializes in major trauma, neurosciences, a hyperacute stroke unit, renal medicine, vascular surgery, urology, plastic surgery, burns and infectious diseases, according to a palace statement. Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, 7 Feb. 2025 The hub is esteemed as the regional specialist intensive care unit for major trauma, neurosciences, hyperacute stroke unit, renal medicine, vascular surgery, urology, plastic surgery, burns and infectious diseases, a palace statement said. Janine Henni, People.com, 6 Feb. 2025 Some edits disabled three genes involved in hyperacute rejection, which occurs minutes after a transplant when the recipient’s immune system recognizes the new organ as foreign. Emily Mullin, WIRED, 11 Oct. 2023 Everything that’s matchless about Raban’s work — his hyperacute eye for detail, his powers of synthesis, his mordant sense of humor, his vast reservoirs of knowledge and his love of travel — is there. Mary Ann Gwinn, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2023 Newton is a logical thinker and a hyperacute observer, with a prodigious memory and a lacerating honesty. Mary Ann Gwinn, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2022 In hyperacute rejection, large blood clots rapidly form, obstructing the blood supply of the donor organ. Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 The first and most dangerous hurdle is hyperacute rejection. Megan Molteni, STAT, 24 Jan. 2022 The transplantation itself went smoothly: the kidneys showed no signs of hyperacute rejection and even began to function. Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 20 Jan. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hyperacute was in 1823

Dictionary Entries Near hyperacute

Cite this Entry

“Hyperacute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hyperacute. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

Medical Definition

hyperacute

adjective
hy·​per·​acute ˌhī-pə-rə-ˈkyüt How to pronounce hyperacute (audio)
: extremely or excessively acute
hyperacute hearing
And the problem of hyperacute rejection—a violent immune response that can destroy a transplanted organ in minutes—seems to have been solved for pig organs.Arlene Judith Klotzko, Scientific American

More from Merriam-Webster on hyperacute

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!