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 letter was overearnest, overwrought, and self-serious in a way that only a person on the cusp of proper adulthood could produce. — Robert P. Baird, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026

Scrap what isn’t working—the overwrought schedule, the good habits gone bad. — Usa Today, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

Affleck’s attempt to bind these three narratives into some grand conclusion, or lesson, about the state of being alive in the world is muddled and overwrought, full of clunky poetry that seems to think abstraction and repetition are keys to meaning. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

In true Richards’ fashion, of course, Kyle transfers her distress into throwing yet another one of her overwrought white parties, whose guest list is filled with a caravan of beloved names in the Bravo-verse. — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 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