as in exaggerating
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 overemphasizing
Paternalistic tactics, such as overemphasizing IUDs and implants, undermined young people’s reproductive health preferences and goals.
—
Riley J. Steiner, STAT, 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
Still, experts warn that there is such a thing as overemphasizing the data and getting bogged down by less-than-optimal scores.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 1 Oct. 2025
Riley J. Steiner, STAT, 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
Still, experts warn that there is such a thing as overemphasizing the data and getting bogged down by less-than-optimal scores.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overemphasizing
Verb
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By exaggerating the patients’ health problems, insurers collect larger payments from government without providing additional healthcare.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
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But in early 2024, a short seller accused it of exaggerating the role of artificial intelligence in its business model, leading to a class action lawsuit and a 30% drop in its share price.—
Perrie M. Weiner,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Heat president Pat Riley made that clear during his annual season-ending news conference on Monday at Kaseya Center, emphasizing his disdain toward tanking for a top draft pick.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
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Fifteen other states, including Iowa and Missouri, filed a brief emphasizing the importance of preserving access to affordable glyphosate.—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While agreeing that the FPV drones were a new challenge, Zehavi cautioned against overstating their impact.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Apr. 2026
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In 1998, Buffett warned against overstating your impact.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Herzog naturally plays up the enigma at hand with epic grandeur, occasionally overdoing it but usually hitting the mark.—
Eric Kohn,
IndieWire,
24 Apr. 2026
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But nighttime pain that woke me every few hours was likely from overdoing, Bugbee’s nurse explained.—
Nicole Sours Larson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Specific tests included picking up and stressing the laptops to check for build quality and flex, and carrying them in laptop backpacks to check weight and portability.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
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Pure lunacy — and now stressing out students with crashes of a computer system.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overemphasizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overemphasizing. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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