overconstruct

verb

over·​con·​struct ˌō-vər-kən-ˈstrəkt How to pronounce overconstruct (audio)
overconstructed; overconstructing

transitive + intransitive

: to construct (something) more sturdily, elaborately, or extensively than is usual or required
We've fought with this house … . It was overconstructed and made for hurricanes. It was made not to come off the ground.Jeremy Patterson
… the starched collar and shoulders of an overconstructed dressing gown …David Edison
… is … firmly in control of the narrative rhythm, yet the film never feels artificial or overconstructed.Terrence Rafferty
In 1857, 1873, and 1893, it was the railroads who overconstructed and were bloated with fixed debts.William G. Roy
overconstruction noun
Rates would have risen … and that dynamic would have put loans out of range for some builders and prevented overconstruction Jennifer Robison

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overconstruct was in 1900

Dictionary Entries Near overconstruct

Cite this Entry

“Overconstruct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overconstruct. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

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