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
The potential impacts of abusing nitrous oxide cannot be overemphasized.
—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for overemphasize
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for overemphasize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overemphasize
Verb
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The four-time Olympian was not exaggerating.
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Many of the studies exaggerate the amount in human organs, the European officials concluded.
Verb
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Suarez also acknowledged both teams' slow starts, emphasizing the Red Sox's need to contend.
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As Hinkley’s family and fiancée mourn the loss of a young man who still had his entire future ahead of him, prosecutors emphasized the scrutiny applied when criminal allegations involve an on-duty law enforcement officer.
Verb
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Attorneys for plaintiffs in the case say Hochman is vastly overstating the level of fraud and relying on databases with faulty information about who was incarcerated in county custody as a juvenile.
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Ensure that any assertions aren’t overstating the case.
Verb
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Her direction here wisely emphasizes the actors, and possibly overdoes it with the mirrors — lotta symbolically reflective surfaces and isolating frames within frames — but there’s never the sensation that the person behind the camera is winging it.
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Happy Body Spritz bottles up that same nostalgia with its bright blend of ruby red grapefruit, mandarin, bergamot, soft florals, and woods, but in a lighter mist that’s nearly impossible to overdo.
Cite this Entry
“Overemphasize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overemphasize. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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