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Recent Examples of overact
The college student performers from the Hartt School aren’t encouraged to overact during the party scene anymore — no more drunk jokes or pratfalls.
—
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Dec. 2024
One could easily be accused of overacting, of doing too much.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
There are few instances of someone overacting more in a movie, unnecessarily adding an undercurrent of murderous, jokey psychotic to an already bizarre creation.
—Mark Kennedy, Boston Herald, 13 Dec. 2024
The college student performers from the Hartt School aren’t encouraged to overact during the party scene anymore — no more drunk jokes or pratfalls.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Dec. 2024
In regard to overacting, Pacino addresses it on a case-by-case basis: Some movies call for it, like Scarface.
—Chris Stanton, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2024
The performances seems inspired by the over-the-top techniques of actors who tried to do too much when sound finally came to films, but were used to overacting.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 25 Sep. 2024
Their turns are driven to cartoonish overacting in great part by the words they’ve been asked to say in English and in angry tones.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 30 Aug. 2024
Meanwhile, Greenblatt’s playfully mischievous demeanor as Tina often reads as overacting.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Dec. 2024
One could easily be accused of overacting, of doing too much.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
There are few instances of someone overacting more in a movie, unnecessarily adding an undercurrent of murderous, jokey psychotic to an already bizarre creation.
—Mark Kennedy, Boston Herald, 13 Dec. 2024
The college student performers from the Hartt School aren’t encouraged to overact during the party scene anymore — no more drunk jokes or pratfalls.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Dec. 2024
In regard to overacting, Pacino addresses it on a case-by-case basis: Some movies call for it, like Scarface.
—Chris Stanton, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2024
The performances seems inspired by the over-the-top techniques of actors who tried to do too much when sound finally came to films, but were used to overacting.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 25 Sep. 2024
Their turns are driven to cartoonish overacting in great part by the words they’ve been asked to say in English and in angry tones.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 30 Aug. 2024
Meanwhile, Greenblatt’s playfully mischievous demeanor as Tina often reads as overacting.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overact
Verb
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But his performance as the coldly confident Conway is still an excellent part of the world Scorsese constructs, and De Niro underplays to excellent effects.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
24 Mar. 2025
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By de-emphasizing the will of not just Poles but also Ukrainians, Hubris underplays the key factor that brought Putin to the point of annexing Crimea in 2014: Ukraine’s fervent hope for closer trade ties with the EU.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Patel, Bondi and Trump are overplaying their hand, especially as the president’s immigration policy approval keeps dropping amid public outrage over authoritarian assaults on due process and separation of powers.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2025
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But on stage, the sophomoric snaps are overplayed (and fairly raunchy for Indiana high schoolers in the 1950s); the energy is replaced by speed; and the emotions are always fraught.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Some lawmakers have argued that the act cannot be used by the president to enact tariffs.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 May 2025
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The 1970 Clean Air Act specifies that California can receive waivers from the Environmental Protection Agency to enact clean air standards that are tougher than federal limits because the state has historically been the most polluted air in the nation.—
Lisa Friedman,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Verb
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Sides were separated, and the officials determined nobody had acted out enough to warrant an ejection.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2025
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But, by high school, Weisberger started acting out at home and getting into trouble at school — and with the law — his father told the Herald in the months after Pascal’s murder.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Its release created a wave of immense hype—and existential panic—about AI's ability to imitate human communication and composition.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2025
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At its core is the capability of computer systems or algorithms to imitate intelligent human behavior – and in some cases improve how to interpret large amounts of data to make decisions and solve problems.—
Jill Standish,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Today, Margaret would be playacting her own massacre in active shooter drills at school.—
Petula Dvorak,
Washington Post,
1 May 2023
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Trump’s modus, as ever, was to playact; his game has always been improv.—
Joe Klein,
Washington Post,
12 Jan. 2023
Verb
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The 2013 film Gravity dramatized the hazardous potential of space debris on humans in orbit, but most of the danger is to the proliferating number of satellites.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
12 Apr. 2025
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Unlike Molly, who's politely reticent and reluctant to speak up for herself, Nikki can't resist expressing her anger and sorrow—or, more precisely, dramatizing them for whatever audience of oncologists happens to be in range.—
Dory Jackson,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Using paint to mimic the look of a runner is a creative, unexpected way to add interest to your non-carpeted stairs.—
Katie Akin,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2025
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While the filling is made of microfiber, the material mimics both the fluffiness and warmth of authentic down.—
Megan Schaltegger,
People.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overact. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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