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Recent Examples of overact
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
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
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
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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China rejects this view and has blasted Taipei for underplaying the role of Chinese Communists in defeating Imperial Japan.—
Jan Camenzind Broomby,
NPR,
2 Sep. 2025
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Bader gives a sharp, subtle performance, underplaying in scenes where even an experienced actor might chomp down.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Did the Nexstar and Sinclair station groups overplay their hands by aggressively taking on Disney this week?—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
20 Sep. 2025
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Guilherme Biro’s pass over the top to Owen Wolff, son of Sporting KC legend Josh Wolff, was overplayed by SKC’s Robert Voloder.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The statistics also mark a sharp increase in shooting victims under the age of 18, with the NYPD accounting for an 80% jump in incidents since the law was enacted in 2018.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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When America entered the Second World War, states and cities moved to enact additional hate speech laws, in part to prevent race riots that threatened to disrupt industrial production and the war effort.—
Time,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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During her latest podcast episode, Cunningham continued to speak out, calling out the league boss for acting out of self-interest.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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At these screenings, the film is shown on the big screen while a cast silently acts out the entire film in front of the audience.—
Meredith G. White,
AZCentral.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The fact that these programs are becoming adept at imitating consciousness, however, may be all that matters for now.—
Webb Wright,
The Atlantic,
1 Oct. 2025
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Multiple images of Trump then pop up behind the New York lawmaker seemingly to imitate a mariachi band.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 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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Trixie advises Alma to playact highness to flummox E.B.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
18 Dec. 2021
Verb
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Mahama’s installations, which say something about societal deterioration, also dramatize the country’s inability to sustain robust funding in the arts or technology in its postindependence years.—
Edna Bonhomme,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
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This task requires her to dramatize the concepts of loneliness and identity to say something original and surprising.—
Sanjena Sathian,
Vulture,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Inevitably, someone ended up swinging a quilt around to mimic the great snake’s darting heads and churning coils.—
Seamus Sullivan
September 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
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Those cuts wound up mimicking what a diamond looks in its natural state.—
James Manso,
Footwear News,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overact. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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