Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overact
That secret shakes Charlie’s love for his intended, messes with work, affects his performance in bed and prompts him to spiral out, overacting at every step.
—
Mark Kennedy, Boston Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
Adrien Brody can’t stop overacting in a commercial for TurboTax.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
On-screen, the speech’s prestige can overwhelm its existential subject matter, and the passage tends to get overacted.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
Snook and Lacy, who display such sharp instincts in their best work, seem to have been directed to overact; cameras freeze on their exaggeratedly bewildered or angry or devastated expressions, putting exclamation points at the end of too many scenes.
—Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
His presence is fresh, empathetic, often hypnotic, and never overacted.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
One could easily be accused of overacting, of doing too much.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
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
Mark Kennedy, Boston Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
Adrien Brody can’t stop overacting in a commercial for TurboTax.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
On-screen, the speech’s prestige can overwhelm its existential subject matter, and the passage tends to get overacted.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
Snook and Lacy, who display such sharp instincts in their best work, seem to have been directed to overact; cameras freeze on their exaggeratedly bewildered or angry or devastated expressions, putting exclamation points at the end of too many scenes.
—Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
His presence is fresh, empathetic, often hypnotic, and never overacted.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
One could easily be accused of overacting, of doing too much.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overact
Verb
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However, because the artists were not of Mexican descent, Chicano music histories often overlook or underplay this era.—
Oliver Wang,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
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Not to underplay the seriousness of the situation, of course, but the suspect never made it inside.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The lack of Hollywood has possibly been overplayed, anyway.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
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Lue has tried to stagger their minutes to not overplay them.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Top oil-consuming countries have been releasing reserves to help offset shortfalls while other countries have enacted strict rationing policies.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
26 May 2026
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Although if the Heat swing and miss (again) on Antetokounmpo, who’s to say Pat Riley won’t be desperate enough to enact a quick fence-mend, swallow some pride and give LeBron a call.—
Greg Cote
May 25,
Miami Herald,
25 May 2026
Verb
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At Denver Botanic Gardens, youth educators encourage preschoolers to act out the life cycle of various plants, for example.—
Jamie Siebrase,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
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Hanks' wife Rita Wilson stars in and co-produces the new show, which features an ever-changing lineup of entertainment, politicians and athletes who read and act out excerpts from other celebrities' autobiographies.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
20 May 2026
Verb
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The first of its kind in a daily newspaper, it was syndicated and later widely imitated.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
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The Yellow Chartreuse with its honeyed complexity imitates the lingering natural sweetness of the agave nectar, and the juicy bittersweet orange from the Aperol takes the role of the Cointreau, all atop a subtle smoky backbone.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
23 May 2026
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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Trixie advises Alma to playact highness to flummox E.B.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
18 Dec. 2021
Verb
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The basic themes of Hearst’s life and the novels that dramatize it remain distressingly relevant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
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The seemingly limitless budgets and bottomless demand for content of the streaming television era have allowed studios to dramatize both long-ago and recent disasters.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The guest rooms were designed to emulate a lakeside escape, while the hotel’s corridor carpets mimic a sandy beach.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 May 2026
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The underwater world informed also her approach to accessories, which ranged from mesh handbags studded with transparent beads mimicking drops of water to statement necklaces, bracelets and belts evoking octopus tentacles and small anchovies.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overact. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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