overqualified

adjective

over·​qual·​i·​fied ˌō-vər-ˈkwä-lə-ˌfīd 

: having more education, training, or experience than a job calls for

Examples of overqualified in a Sentence

They didn't hire her because she was overqualified for the job.

Recent Examples on the Web

Research indicates hiring managers fear overqualified candidates may be dissatisfied, demand more, or leave quickly. — Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

Shohei Ohtani returned to the mound At this time in 2025, the Dodgers deployed the most overqualified opener of all time. — Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 16 June 2026

In 2016, voters were asked to choose between a populist candidate dogged by questions about his integrity, judgment, decency, civility, empathy, and respect for everyone from complete strangers to his own wife, and an overqualified, glass-ceiling-smashing woman. — Shannon A. Mullen, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026

Social media is rife with frustrated job seekers submitting hundreds of applications with no callbacks and overqualified candidates desperately throwing resumes at entry-level positions. — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overqualified

• acetaldehyde
• acetanilide
• arabinoside
• cycloheximide
• cyclophosphamide
• diethylamide
• dinucleotide
• ferricyanide
• ferrocyanide
• glutaraldehyde
• glyceraldehyde
• hydroperoxide