overwrought

adjective

over·​wrought ˌō-vər-ˈrȯt 

ˌō-və-

1

: extremely excited : agitated

2

: elaborated to excess : overdone

Synonyms of overwrought

• heated
• excited
• agitated

Examples of overwrought in a Sentence

The witness became overwrought as she described the crime.

became overwrought when she heard that her child was missing

Recent Examples on the Web

The gap between how Trump is perceived by some Republicans (strong and confident) and his actual persona (overwrought and histrionic) is large. —Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026

Two, that party snacks need not be expensive and overwrought to be truly delicious. —The Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Feb. 2026

Here, Linklater eschews the overwrought trappings that these types of movies typically fall into. —Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026

The multiple polygonal recesses and panels and sharp creases throughout the lower half of the front-end are an uninvited reminder about how eager Toyota's design team seems to throw itself into absolute overwrought styling territory. —New Atlas, 16 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

past participle of overwork

First Known Use

1638, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for overwrought

• aeronaut
• aforethought
• afterthought
• apricot
• argonaut
• astronaut
• camelot
• coffeepot
• concordat
• cosmonaut
• entrepot
• flowerpot

Kids Definition

overwrought

adjective

over·​wrought ˌō-və(r)-ˈrȯt 

1

: extremely excited : agitated

overwrought feelings

2

: decorated too much : overdone