oversold

[ oh-ver-sohld ]

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of oversell.

adjective

1. marked by prices considered unjustifiably low because of heavy and extensive selling:

   The stock market is oversold.

Word History and Origins

Origin of oversold¹

First recorded in 1875–80; over- + sold

Example Sentences

Among the bill’s supporters’ litany of wishes: They want taxpayers to help prop up “advanced” chemical recycling methods that companies have oversold as a solution for plastic-choked oceans and communities.

From Salon

Dr Hilary Cass said the merits of the treatment used to delay the onset of puberty had been “oversold” and there was “very limited” evidence they were of use.

From BBC

And in this oversold earthly Eden, the fruit of pleasure and delight was the orange, not the humdrum apple.

From Los Angeles Times

Recent transplants have found that its boosters’ depiction of a vibrant intellectual climate was oversold.

From Los Angeles Times

“These projects are being oversold to the public as a way to reduce congestion; they are not,” said Susan Handy, director of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation at UC Davis.

From Los Angeles Times