as in to exaggerate
to treat (something) with more importance than is needed or proper
The teacher tends to overemphasize the value of tests. The importance of a healthy diet cannot be overemphasized.
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Recent Examples of overemphasize
Inherent in their definition is a sense of shared fate—a counter to a version of food consumption that overemphasizes individual choice.
—
Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Paternalistic tactics, such as overemphasizing IUDs and implants, undermined young people’s reproductive health preferences and goals.
—Riley J. Steiner, STAT, 20 Apr. 2026
Opponents of these changes say the standards lack perspectives from people of color globally and overemphasize the role Christianity played in the founding of the country.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026
Still, overemphasizing national trend lines fails to acknowledge how new converts can change a community.
—Luis Parrales, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overemphasize
Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Paternalistic tactics, such as overemphasizing IUDs and implants, undermined young people’s reproductive health preferences and goals.
—Riley J. Steiner, STAT, 20 Apr. 2026
Opponents of these changes say the standards lack perspectives from people of color globally and overemphasize the role Christianity played in the founding of the country.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026
Still, overemphasizing national trend lines fails to acknowledge how new converts can change a community.
—Luis Parrales, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overemphasize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overemphasize
Verb
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Goldman says Lander is exaggerating the gulf between them.—
Russell Berman,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
-
Sub-six-footers aren’t the only ones who exaggerate their height, though.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Total football remade soccer worldwide by emphasizing movement and pressure on the ball and the interchangeability of positions, laying the groundwork for the modern incarnation of the sport.—
Leander Schaerlaeckens
June 8,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
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The analyst also emphasized VNOM's attractive capital returns framework.—
TipRanks.com Staff,
CNBC,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Other men have adopted a more defensive posture, claiming to overstate their height only because everyone else is doing it.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
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The crime threat is also often overstated, particularly as Baltimore’s historic reduction in violent crime continues.—
Peter Jensen,
Baltimore Sun,
3 June 2026
Verb
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While a thin layer can help support the skin barrier, overdoing thick zinc creams daily may feel too heavy for skin types and ironically, could clog pores in oily skin.—
Tatiana Dias,
Vogue,
29 May 2026
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With such a wide range of bold options, what’s the key to embracing maximalism without overdoing it?—
Lauren Fisher,
Footwear News,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overemphasize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overemphasize. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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