Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overact
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
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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overact
Verb
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Eric McDaniel, a professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin, said the post diverged from the manner in which previous administrations have characterized papal disagreements, often underplaying dissent but stopping short of falsely implying agreement.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
21 Jan. 2026
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Japan’s Moment To Continue A moment is probably underplaying it a little.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Successful vagueposters inject their posts with just enough dramatic flair to attract curiosity, careful not to overplay their hand.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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As evidenced by new sanctions on Russian oil, the seizure of Russian tankers, and the continuing flow of American weapons to Ukraine, Putin has repeatedly overplayed his hand with the president of the United States.—
Andrew Ryvkin,
The Atlantic,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Inside, organizers enacted extreme heat protocols, forcing closure of the retractable roofs over the main arenas and postponement of matches on the uncovered outer courts.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Lawmakers were pushing a measure, similar to those enacted in Australia and Canada, that would have forced tech giants to pay online publishers for the ransacking, er, use, of their journalistic content.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Roper acts out this realization about [Teddy’s allegiance].—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
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This form of compassion helps prime us to act out our compassionate concern for others.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, previously said in a statement that accounts imitating other people go against their terms of service and are removed when flagged.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
26 Jan. 2026
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These fake sites are made to imitate genuine Google support pages.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 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 script stemmed from the desire to dramatize some situations and also the desire to shoot those scenes.—
Stephania Taladrid,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
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The spectacles in Tianjin and Washington dramatize a world in which major powers increasingly rely on public theatre, transactional bargains, and the symbolism of court-like diplomacy to project hierarchy and distribute favor.—
Pratap Bhanu Mehta,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This ultrafine spray delivers ceramides and a lipid complex—a mix of ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol that mimic your skin’s natural lipids—to calm skin, lock in moisture, and strengthen the barrier.—
Lily Wohlner,
Allure,
1 Feb. 2026
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Your school system should mimic this.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overact. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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