overmedicate

verb

over·​med·​i·​cate ˌō-vər-ˈme-də-ˌkāt 

overmedicated; overmedicating

transitive verb

: to administer too much medication to

Avoid overmedicating patients prior to surgery.

: to prescribe too much medication for

But some doctors are increasingly wary about overmedicating people with osteopenia.

—Harvard Health Letter

overmedicated adjective

But the question remains: Is America grossly overmedicated?

—Andrea Bartz

overmedication

ˌō-vər-ˌme-də-ˈkā-shən 

noun

Many others are victims of a system that traffics in superfluous equipment, unnecessary and potentially harmful surgery, overmedication, and questionable procedures.

—Consumer Reports

Examples of overmedicate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Her attorney says Clancy was overmedicated and suffering from postpartum psychosis. — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026

In Lindsay Clancy’s case, her legal team claims that she was overmedicated while being treated for a number of her postpartum symptoms. — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026

Jollotta is one of several medical professionals being sued by both Clancy and her ex-husband Patrick Clancy for allegedly overmedicating and failing to properly treat Lindsay Clancy following the birth of her third child. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026

Prosecutors appeared to begin chipping away at the defense’s portrayal of Lindsay Clancy as overmedicated, walking jurors through nine prescription bottles that still contained many of the pills she had been given. — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overmedicate

• borosilicate
• decontaminate
• deoxycholate
• deteriorate
• differentiate
• diisocyanate
• dinoflagellate
• excommunicate
• incapacitate
• insubordinate
• intercorporate
• interpenetrate

Medical Definition

overmedicate

verb

over·​med·​i·​cate -ˈmed-i-ˌkāt 

overmedicated; overmedicating

transitive verb

: to administer too much medication to : prescribe too much medication for

intransitive verb

: to administer or prescribe too much medication

overmedication

-ˌmed-i-ˈkā-shən 

noun