Overcompensate (Verb)
Meaning 1
Make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities; "he is compensating for being a bad father".
Classification
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations.
Examples
- He tends to overcompensate for his height by wearing the highest heels he can find.
- The new employee overcompensated for his lack of experience by taking on too many tasks and eventually burning out.
- She overcompensated for her weight by wearing extremely tight and revealing clothing.
- He always tries to overcompensate for his lack of intelligence by pretending to have read books he hasn't.
- Trying to overcompensate for a feeling of inadequacy, the wealthy businessman constantly flaunts his expensive possessions.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 2
Make excessive corrections for fear of making an error.
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- The golfer swayed backward slightly, causing him to overcompensate and slice the ball into the rough.
- She became so fearful of being late that she overcompensated by arriving incredibly early to the interview.
- To avoid appearing too casual, he overcompensated by dressing extremely formally for the workplace.
- The bicycle rider, afraid of leaning too far to one side, overcompensated and lost his balance entirely.
- As a person prone to procrastination, he overcompensated by scheduling an overwhelming amount of work into a single day.