as in to stereotype
to use so much as to make less appealing
she had overused that joke to the point where it was eliciting groans and not guffaws
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overuse
For instance, common side effects of overusing aspirin, ibuprofen, and other NSAIDs (or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) include peptic ulcers, GI bleeding, acute kidney injury, and even chronic kidney disease.
—
Dr. Baibing Chen, CNBC, 27 May 2025
The risks of overusing BNPL are obvious − miss payments, and your credit score could tank − but there's an upside: Buyers who pay on time stand to boost their scores.
—USA Today, 4 July 2025
Sure, hygge has been overused a bit in the last few years (candles, fuzzy socks, etc.), but the real idea behind it is simple: comfort and connection.
—Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Some of them include washing with harsh shampoos, particularly those with sulfates or alcohol; overusing scalp scrubs or clarifying products; and not washing frequently enough.
—Jamie Wilson, Glamour, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for overuse
Dr. Baibing Chen, CNBC, 27 May 2025
The risks of overusing BNPL are obvious − miss payments, and your credit score could tank − but there's an upside: Buyers who pay on time stand to boost their scores.
—USA Today, 4 July 2025
Sure, hygge has been overused a bit in the last few years (candles, fuzzy socks, etc.), but the real idea behind it is simple: comfort and connection.
—Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Some of them include washing with harsh shampoos, particularly those with sulfates or alcohol; overusing scalp scrubs or clarifying products; and not washing frequently enough.
—Jamie Wilson, Glamour, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for overuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overuse
Verb
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Interestingly, breasts, and the desire for them, are stereotyped as objects of white desire, as opposed to, say, the Black man’s hunger for ass.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
2 Aug. 2025
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The author comes from Cheyenne and Arapaho heritages, and its mesmerizing cast of characters struggle with every challenge stereotyped on our indigenous peoples — heavy drinking, poverty, fetal alcohol syndrome — juxtaposed with an array of their many talents and gifts.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
27 July 2025
Verb
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Lock Focus And Adjust Exposure To stop your iPhone from overexposing the bright moon, tap and hold on the moon in your camera preview to lock focus.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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At the top of the lineup, Ceci was overexposed, leading to some awful on-ice stats that probably would’ve looked fine if he was simply used in a more appropriate role.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
Verb
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By the time 1960 rolled around, trucks had appropriated car-like fenders and four-door cabs from conventional automobiles; by the 1980s, smaller trucks — first from Japan, followed by American brands — further popularized the idea of trucks as everyday vehicles and even fun toys.—
Will Sabel Courtney,
Robb Report,
5 Aug. 2025
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The Medici, one of the most important families of the Florentine aristocracy, popularized them at their court.—
Michel Mejía,
Glamour,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
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His versions were full-blooded, with lush strings and reasonably large orchestras — and, purists alleged — vulgarizing distortions.—
BostonGlobe.com,
BostonGlobe.com,
28 Oct. 2019
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Ever since his rise to power, Trump has served as a vulgarizing agent.—
Leon Neyfakh,
Slate Magazine,
2 June 2017
Verb
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My mother, exhausted, would simply tell us to go to bed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Aug. 2025
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The choice is whether to exhaust yourself trying to conduct every note or to lay down a rhythm that enables your entire team to create something extraordinary together.—
Michael Hudson,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Simple pleasures appeal to you as the moon and Venus harmonize—no need to overdo it.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
15 Aug. 2025
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And while some thought the league was overdoing it with all the shots of the singer during the games, Mama Kelce was excited for the new audience Swift was attracting.—
Lisa France,
CNN Money,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Still the gigantic creature bored his way downward, with undiminished speed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Aug. 2025
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The female bores into the fig to lay its eggs, which hatch out as larvae inside the fruit and eat the unripe insides before burrowing their way out.—
Nan Sterman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overuse. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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