OVERPLAY Synonyms: 52 Similar and Opposite Words

overplay

verb

Definition of overplay

as in to overemphasize

Related Words

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Dissimilar Words

as in to underplay

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of overplay Last season, Vítek Vaněček struggled in that role, which led the Mammoth to overplay Vejmelka for the second straight season. — Jesse Granger, New York Times, 25 June 2026 Asked about the risk of overplaying one of the NHL’s marquee blueliners, Wild coach John Hynes said there is little concern about Hughes’ workload. — Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 25 Apr. 2026 Best of all, the Tony nominee smartly resists overplaying the joke, grounding the part enough that Brad's unraveling becomes funnier. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026 Lue has tried to stagger their minutes to not overplay them. — Janis Carr, Oc Register, 22 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for overplay

Recent Examples of Synonyms for overplay

Verb

And yet the United States and its allies’ current defense architecture overemphasizes exquisite capabilities while their adversaries, namely China and Russia, possess vast industrial capacity to scale military production.

— Dan Driscoll, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026
Cole did worry that curators might overemphasize the diagnosis, that King would no longer be an artist but an autistic artist, and therefore a symbol of something—resilience, perhaps, or liberation through creativity.

— Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of overemphasize

Verb

Don’t get too warm, though Although staying warm is essential — things like fingers don’t work as efficiently when chilled — don’t overdo it.

— BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
One of her concerns is layering products, which can easily lead to overdoing it on the actives.

— Korin Miller, Allure, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of overdo

Verb

That secret shakes Charlie’s love for his intended, messes with work, affects his performance in bed and prompts him to spiral out, overacting at every step.

— Mark Kennedy, Boston Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
Adrien Brody can’t stop overacting in a commercial for TurboTax.

— Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026

Definition of overact

Verb

But to imply that a world-class athlete is exaggerating an injury to preserve his reputation is a staggering lapse in judgment.

— Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly framed settler violence in the West Bank as the work of a few dozen fringe youths and said its scale has been exaggerated.

— Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of exaggerate

Verb

People who had already turned 55 when the law was enacted also were given until August 2021 to file lawsuits, no matter when the alleged abuse occurred.

— John Hanna, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
In the same era, Democrats in Congress enacted a raft of social programs that would become part of the language, such as Medicare and Medicaid.

— Ron Elving, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of enact

Verb

The gap between those predictions and the reality on the ground suggests many observers have overstated the likelihood of war.

— Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Mamut and Grönberg were persuaded by Paul Best, a new arrival at Elliott, who believed that the eclipse of brick-and-mortar retail by online commerce had been overstated, and that certain chains could flourish if well capitalized.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of overstate

Verb

Dressed as Holmes and seated in a set version of the prison visitation room, Seyfried acts out lines from a script based on Fielder’s recollection of the conversation.

— Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Oct. 2026
In a heart-to-heart, Johnny tells Gabe that his reaction to his own parents’ divorce was also to act out.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026