overreact

[ oh-ver-ree-akt ]

verb (used without object)

1. to react or respond more strongly than is necessary or appropriate.

overreact

/ ˌəʊvərɪˈækt /

verb

1. intr to react excessively to something

Derived Forms

• ˌoverreˈaction, noun

Other Words From

• over·re·action noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of overreact¹

First recorded in 1960–65; over- + react

Example Sentences

Most of the time my reaction to stuff on Nextdoor is that people are overreacting.

From Washington Post

This is true even if he’s right that you’re overreacting, which he might be.

From Washington Post

I’ll just be reminding myself not to overreact to how the polls change after tonight.

From FiveThirtyEight

Maybe people have overreacted about how things will look in a post-pandemic world.

From Fortune

While the return to normal pay shows that the bumpiest months of the crisis are over, sources at many of the publications that made cuts cautioned against overreacting.

From Digiday

Nobody should overreact here, and they should think through the consequences of their actions.

From The Daily Beast

That's why human beings are evolved to overreact to certain kind of threats.

From The Daily Beast

Schools get shot up and everybody has their solution, and we often overreact.

From The Daily Beast

The Obama administration should not only react judiciously, it should also try to persuade Congress not to overreact either.

From The Daily Beast

We should not be surprised when they occur, and most importantly we should not overreact if one is eventually successful.

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• lose it
• scare