Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To engage in overcompensation.
- intransitive verb To pay (someone) too much; compensate excessively.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- verb to make excessive corrections for fear of making an error.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To do an
excessive amount in one area in an effort toovercome a perceivedlack in another area. - verb To provide excessive
pay orreward for work performed.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities
- verb make excessive corrections for fear of making an error
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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In the process, it's easy to overcompensate, which is what unnerves me about the niche response to "The Social Network" among people old enough to be Zuckerberg's parents.
latimes.com - News 2011
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Sometimes (not all the time, of course), when vegetarians or vegans abandon their dietary ethics and return to the omnivorous fold, so to speak, they overcompensate.
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The greatest, most obvious mistake that American administrations make is to overcompensate for the flaws of the previous one.
Be Like Bush 2009
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Some of us give ourselves up completely and become the mask, while others overcompensate and turn every dustup into the Montgomery bus boycott.
American Girl 2009
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Either they will overcompensate already overcompensated executives, or create new jobs.
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These variations can confuse the oxygen sensors in a car, which can make the fuel injection overcompensate and produce more pollution or even rough-running.
Move over E85, here comes E15. EPA proposes adding more ethanol to gasoline blends 2010
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It is not uncommon for relatives who live at a distance to try to overcompensate for their absence and perhaps guilty feelings by playing the hero or making a larger than life impact on the situation.
Judith Johnson: How to Handle Family Dynamics Around a Dying Loved One Judith Johnson 2010
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Sometimes (not all the time, of course), when vegetarians or vegans abandon their dietary ethics and return to the omnivorous fold, so to speak, they overcompensate.
at the crossroads of desire and fear, we find such things as this « paper fruit 2009
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It is not uncommon for relatives who live at a distance to try to overcompensate for their absence and perhaps guilty feelings by playing the hero or making a larger than life impact on the situation.
Judith Johnson: How to Handle Family Dynamics Around a Dying Loved One Judith Johnson 2010
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Either they will overcompensate already overcompensated executives, or create new jobs.
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