Related Searches
Nearby Words
Synonyms

over-wrought

 [oh-ver-rawt, oh-ver-]   Origin

o·ver·wrought

   [oh-ver-rawt, oh-ver-]
adjective
1.
extremely or excessively excited or agitated: to become overwrought on hearing bad news; an overwrought personality.
2.
elaborated to excess; excessively complex or ornate: written in a florid, overwrought style.
3.
Archaic. wearied or exhausted by overwork.
Over Gate www.bizrate.com Search. Compare. Conquer. Save on Over Gate!
Ad
Origin:
1660–70; over- + wrought

Synonyms
1. overexcited, worked up, wrought up, distracted, frantic.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Over-wrought is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Dictionary.com Unabridged

o·ver·work

   [v. oh-ver-wurk; n. oh-ver-wurk]
verb (used with object)
1.
to cause to work too hard, too much, or too long; weary or exhaust with work (often used reflexively): Don't overwork yourself on that new job.
2.
to work up, stir up, or excite excessively: to overwork a mob to the verge of frenzy.
3.
to employ or elaborate to excess: an appeal for sympathy that has been overworked by many speakers.
4.
to work or decorate all over; decorate the surface of: white limestone overworked with inscriptions.
verb (used without object)
5.
to work too hard, too much, or too long; work to excess: You look as though you've been overworking.
noun
6.
work beyond one's strength or capacity.
7.
extra or excessive work.
Origin:
before 1000; Old English oferwyrcan. See over-, work
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To over-wrought
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

overwork
"to cause to work too hard," 1530, from over + work (q.v.). O.E. oferwiercan meant "to work all over," i.e. "to decorate the whole surface of."
EXPAND

overwrought
"worked up to too high a pitch," 1825, lit. "over-worked," from over + wrought (q.v.).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT
How many words do you know? FIND OUT