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.

Origin:
1660–70; over- + wrought


1. overexcited, worked up, wrought up, distracted, frantic.
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. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To overwrought
00:10
Overwrought is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Collins
World English Dictionary
overwork
 
vb
1.  (also intr) to work or cause to work too hard or too long
2.  to use too much: to overwork an excuse
3.  to decorate the surface of
4.  to work up
 
n
5.  excessive or excessively tiring work
 
over'worked
 
adj

overwrought (ˌəʊvəˈrɔːt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj (and foll by with)
1.  full of nervous tension; agitated
2.  too elaborate; fussy: an overwrought style
3.  with the surface decorated or adorned

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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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."

overwrought
"worked up to too high a pitch," 1825, lit. "over-worked," from over + wrought (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
And on and on, through a series of overwrought zigs and zags that only
  intermittently make any inherent sense.
Overwrought on the night of her wedding, a vision appeared to her.
Some believe his gambit worked, while others felt it overwrought.
She tended to write rather too long for what she had to say each week, and
  there was something overwrought in her tone.
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