overrated

adjective

over·​rat·​ed ˌō-vər-ˈrā-təd 

: rated or valued too highly

an overrated book/movie/restaurant

The reign of James I is under scrutiny again. For too long this king has been the victim of literary pastiche, deployed as a foil to the fleeing glory of the overrated Elizabeth I.

—J. A. Guy

… Garrick had arranged for a member of the audience (a fellow actor), dressed as a Frenchified fop, to complain—as connoisseurs of French literary taste had complained for generations—that Shakespeare was vulgar, provincial, and overrated.

—Jonathan Bate

Examples of overrated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Entertainment is the most overrated function of art. —Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 July 2024

Today’s fine dining is often confusing, overrated, and, yes, boring. —Nylah Iqbal Muhammad, Vox, 2 July 2024

The piebald deer spotted frolicking in an Oregon field last month makes average look overrated, donning a coat sprinkled with bits of white. —Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024

For the author Laura van den Berg, living in a place with seasons is overrated. —Scott Sayare Robert Petkoff Anna Diamond Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 14 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined above