1
as in heated
being in a state of increased activity or agitation
became overwrought when she heard that her child was missing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ornate
elaborately and often excessively decorated
the author's prose is overwrought with purple passages and florid metaphors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 overwrought
The high-octane war thriller is fun to imagine staged, but dialogue tends to be overwrought.
—
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 2 June 2025
Their prose tends to be overwrought; their dialogue is clunky and unsubtle.
—Kelsey Piper, Vox, 12 May 2025
There are signs that some of the handwringing over the economy may also be overwrought.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 11 May 2025
The Red Sox could have put the Wally Head home run prop or some other overwrought logo on the hat.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for overwrought
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 2 June 2025
Their prose tends to be overwrought; their dialogue is clunky and unsubtle.
—Kelsey Piper, Vox, 12 May 2025
There are signs that some of the handwringing over the economy may also be overwrought.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 11 May 2025
The Red Sox could have put the Wally Head home run prop or some other overwrought logo on the hat.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for overwrought
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overwrought
Adjective
-
President Trump deployed the National Guard and U.S. Marines in the city days after the operation began amid heated protests.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 July 2025
-
And because no Hamptons home is complete without a few luxe extras, the digs are outfitted with a heated pool, sauna, tennis court, gym, and a boat mooring.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
Torry’s candidly dumpy, dingy, dated, wood panel lined courtroom allowed for the placement of contemporary art and the banging of nails into walls which would have been forbidden in one of the ornate ground floor courtrooms.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
-
Macron addressed members of both houses of Britain’s Parliament packed into the building’s ornate Royal Gallery.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
Why some tattoo artists push back against AI tattoo machines Of course, not everyone is excited about this change.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 July 2025
-
The actress, 32, spoke with PEOPLE on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of her new film Smurfs and shared that her kids — son Kingston, 4, and daughter Jackson, 2 — are going to be very excited to see their mom on the big screen.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
Modern baroque interiors set the tone for a glamorous stay, with Renaissance paintings and colorful frescoes in abundance.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
8 July 2025
-
The three-row necklace features a central cameo haloed by diamonds and a baroque pearl.—
Jessica Scemama,
Glamour,
6 July 2025
Adjective
-
Scenes are set in grimy derelict spaces or feature the ominous sound of agitated bat wings.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2025
-
The Defense secretary became agitated during the briefing, which was intended to clarify the intelligence the Pentagon had on the three nuclear facilities before and after the weekend operation.—
Dan Gooding
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
Per the logline, gaining access to the yacht’s extravagant amenities won’t be so simple.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
14 July 2025
-
Ra’s decades-long adherence to this personal mythology, along with his air of serene bemusement and his extravagant robes and headdresses, led to his popular image as a colorful eccentric.—
Ekow Eshun
July 11,
Literary Hub,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overwrought.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overwrought. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share