oversensitive
/ˌəʊvəˈsensɪtɪv/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌəʊvərˈsensɪtɪv/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌō-vər-ˈsen(t)-sə-tiv -ˈsen(t)s-təv/ (ame, mw)
oversensitive — 形容詞
- oversensitivepositive
- more oversensitivecomparative
- most oversensitivesuperlative
1. feeling hurt, offended, or annoyed by small comments or actions that most people
玻璃心
容易因小事感到受傷或被冒犯
feeling hurt, offended, or annoyed by small comments or actions that most people would brush off.
Mathieu became oversensitive to teasing after his classmates mocked his accent.
Mathieu 的同學嘲笑他的口音後,他對任何取笑都變得太敏感。
oversensitive to + noun (trigger)
Noor told her brother to stop being oversensitive about every joke at dinner.
Noor 叫她弟弟吃飯時不要對每個玩笑都太敏感。
oversensitive about + noun (topic)
The manager said Paloma was oversensitive when colleagues offered honest feedback.
主管說 Paloma 在同事誠實給意見時太敏感。
An oversensitive child may cry when other children win a simple board game.
太敏感的孩子可能會因為別的孩子贏了一場簡單的桌遊就哭出來。
Kwame admits he can be oversensitive whenever someone questions his cooking.
Kwame 承認,每當有人質疑他的廚藝,他就會變得很玻璃心。
- touchy
informal; same meaning, more colloquial
- thin-skinned
vivid metaphor; suggests the person is easily wounded
- hypersensitive
stronger and more clinical-sounding
- thick-skinned
able to ignore criticism easily
- unflappable
stays calm even under provocation
文法句型
oversensitive to + noun
oversensitive about + noun
用法筆記
Often carries a mild criticism — the speaker thinks the reaction was bigger than the situation deserved. Frequently followed by 'to' (the trigger) or 'about' (the topic).
常見錯誤
2. of skin, an organ, a device, or a system — showing an unusually strong reaction
太敏感
對外界刺激出現異常強烈反應
of skin, an organ, a device, or a system — showing an unusually strong reaction to a substance, light, sound, or other input that most people, animals, or machines tolerate normally.
Mira's skin is oversensitive to sunlight and burns within ten minutes.
Mira 的皮膚對陽光過敏,十分鐘內就會曬傷。
oversensitive to + physical stimulus
Doctors found that Christopher's lungs were oversensitive to pollen and pet hair.
醫生發現 Christopher 的肺對花粉和寵物毛反應過強。
medical context, multiple triggers
The smoke alarm was oversensitive and rang every time Hana cooked toast.
那個煙霧警報器太敏感,每次 Hana 烤吐司都會響。
Sivan's teeth feel oversensitive to anything cold after the dental treatment.
Sivan 牙齒治療後,吃任何冰的東西都覺得牙齒過於敏感。
Some plants in the greenhouse are oversensitive to small changes in temperature.
溫室裡有些植物對溫度的細微變化反應過強。
- hypersensitive
common in medical writing for allergic reactions
- reactive
neutral term used for skin, devices, and chemicals
- allergic
specifically about immune-system reactions
- tolerant
of bodies or systems that handle the stimulus without trouble
文法句型
oversensitive to + noun (stimulus)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense applies to bodies, organs, machines, or biological systems reacting to physical stimuli, not to people reacting to social or emotional events. Almost always followed by 'to' + the stimulus.