overemphasis

[ oh-ver-em-fuh-sis ]
See synonyms for overemphasis on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. excessive or undue emphasis.

Origin of overemphasis

1
First recorded in 1895–1900; over- + emphasis

Other words from overemphasis

  • o·ver·em·phat·ic [oh-ver-em-fat-ik], /ˌoʊ vər ɛmˈfæt ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use overemphasis in a sentence

  • Felicia saw on her fathers face a mingling of amazement and gratification quickly composed into an over-emphatic dignity.

    Paths of Judgement | Anne Douglas Sedgwick
  • Hence a brilliant yellow house, a bright green gown, large figured wallpaper, are over-emphatic.

  • Our surfaces are hard, boastful, the rhythms of our daily life abrupt, over-emphatic.

    Painted Veils | James Huneker
  • My mother presently found him moping alone in the parlor, where he was looking with an over-emphatic care at the pictures.

    On the Stairs | Henry B. Fuller
  • I hear Shakespeare in this uncalled-for, over-emphatic "even my soul doth for a wife abhor."

    The Man Shakespeare | Frank Harris