overrepresented

adjective over·rep·re·sent·ed \ ˈō-vər-ˌre-pri-ˈzen-təd , ˈō-və- \

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Definition of overrepresented

: represented excessively; especially : having representatives in a proportion higher than the average

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overrepresentation

play \ˈō-vər-ˌre-pri-ˌzen-ˈtā-shən, ˈō-və-, -zən-\ noun

Recent Examples of overrepresented from the Web

In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio recently recommended changing the admissions criteria for the city’s most elite public schools, where Asian-Americans are vastly overrepresented and black and Latino students are underrepresented.

— john eligon, New York Times, "Asian-Americans Face Multiple Fronts in Battle Over Affirmative Action," 16 June 2018
However, 23 percent were undecided, and the Wagner campaign said the survey’s sample overrepresented Democratic voters.

— andrew seidman, Philly.com, "Planned Parenthood to spend $1.5 million for Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf's reelection campaign," 15 June 2018
One problem had been that certain record labels or label groups seemed overrepresented year in and year out, something that was especially noticeable in some of the classical categories.

— randy lewis, The Seattle Times, "The Grammy Awards at 60: What a long, strange trip it’s been," 27 Jan. 2018
That disadvantage doesn’t exist in the Senate, but a related one does: Because the states have equal representation—two senators each—rural states are hugely overrepresented relative to those with larger, more dense populations.

— jamelle bouie, Slate Magazine, "“Minority rule” will enable the success of even more extreme candidates like Roy Moore—and Donald Trump.," 29 Sep. 2017
Beneficiaries are even more overrepresented in the Southeast and central Appalachia.

— terrence mccoy, Washington Post, "Did you know in rural America, disability benefit rates are twice as high as in urban areas?," 22 July 2017
In the Senate, the least populous states are now more overrepresented than ever before.

— emily badger, New York Times, "One in Five People Live in Rural America Today," 20 Nov. 2016
That probably means online multiplayer games are a bit overrepresented in our sample, while strictly single-player games might be undercounted.

— kyle orland, Ars Technica, "Xbox Unleashed: Our deep-dive study of how millions use Xbox Live," 6 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'overrepresented.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.