Word.ws English Dictionary

hyperthymesia

Syllables: hy·per·thy·mes·ia/ˌhaɪ.pə.θaɪˈmiː.zi.ə/US/ˌhaɪ.pɚ.θaɪˈmi.ʒə/

hyperthymesia noun: a rare condition in which a person possesses a superior autobiographical memory and is able to recall the vast majority of personal events and experiences in life.

Noun

hyperthymesia (uncountable)

  1. A rare condition in which a person possesses a superior autobiographical memory and is able to recall the vast majority of personal events and experiences in life.
    • Others may have some degree of hyperthymesia — they may spend an abnormally large amount of time thinking about their personal past, and have an extraordinary capacity to recall specific events in detail.2008, Mikita Brottman, The Solitary Vice: Against Reading (A PopMatters Book), Berkeley, Calif.: Counterpoint, →ISBN, page 160
    • Lesley hadn't been interested in the story, because she didn't think that HSAM (or hyperthymesia, as it was called then) was that rare, having known me for so many years.2012 November, Marilu Henner, Lorin Henner, Total Memory Makeover: Uncover Your Past, Take Charge of Your Future, trade paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Gallery Books, →ISBN, page 8

Examples of hyperthymesia in a sentence

  • We discussed memory in the previous chapter of this book, and hyperthymesia is the ultimate example of an ability that everyone shares being carried to superhuman lengths—only, it's very human still.2013, Deepak Chopra, Rudolph E. Tanzi, Super Brain: Unleash the Explosive Power of Your Mind, London: Rider, →ISBN, page 46:
  • Hyperthymesia is also known as superior autobiographical memory.2013, Annette Kujawski Taylor, “Hyperthymesia”, in Annette Kujawski Taylor, editor, Encyclopedia of Human Memory, volumes 1 (A–D), Santa...

Synonyms of hyperthymesia

Origin of hyperthymesia

From hyper- (prefix meaning ‘over, beyond; excessive’) + Greek θύμηση (thýmisi, “memory”) + -ia (suffix forming names of diseases).

Words formed from hyperthymesia

Questions about hyperthymesia

What does hyperthymesia mean?
Hyperthymesia means a rare condition in which a person possesses a superior autobiographical memory and is able to recall the vast majority of personal events and experiences in life.
How do you use hyperthymesia in a sentence?
We discussed memory in the previous chapter of this book, and hyperthymesia is the ultimate example of an ability that everyone shares being carried to superhuman lengths—only, it's very human still.
What part of speech is hyperthymesia?
Hyperthymesia is a noun.
How do you pronounce hyperthymesia?
Hyperthymesia is pronounced /ˌhaɪ.pə.θaɪˈmiː.zi.ə/ (UK).

Words near hyperthymesia in the dictionary

  1. hyperthrombinemia
  2. hyperthrombocytemia
  3. hyperthrombocytosis
  4. hyperthrombosis
  5. hyperthrombotic
  6. hyperthymesia
  7. hyperthymestic
  8. hyperthymestic syndrome
  9. hyperthymia
  10. hyperthymias
  11. hyperthymic

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: hyperthymesia (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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