overwrought

[ oh-ver-rawt, oh-ver- ]

adjective

1. extremely or excessively excited or agitated:

   to become overwrought on hearing bad news; an overwrought personality.

   Synonyms: frantic, distracted

2. elaborated to excess; excessively complex or ornate:

   written in a florid, overwrought style.

3. Archaic. wearied or exhausted by overwork.

overwrought

/ ˌəʊvəˈrɔːt /

adjective

1. full of nervous tension; agitated
2. too elaborate; fussy

   an overwrought style

3. often postpositiveand foll bywith with the surface decorated or adorned

Word History and Origins

Origin of overwrought¹

First recorded in 1660–70; over- + wrought

Example Sentences

But because “Heretic” is a genre movie, there are overwrought visual metaphors, implausible twists and an unfortunate reliance on coincidence.

From Los Angeles Times

The setup was clear from the opening reliance on overwrought generality: There is greater distrust today of the media than ever before, and, Bezos implores,a respected newspaper’s endorsements are part of the problem.

From Salon

At that moment she could have been an opera singer with all the comfortable mannerisms, powerful and overwrought, of the 1930s.

From Los Angeles Times

If any of this sounds overwrought to you, take a moment to consider that HG means—on top of the other challenges of being pregnant—having the stomach flu for months straight.

From Slate

And while he thinks that some of his peers’ existential rhetoric can be overwrought, he agreed that there is an ongoing effort to “tear down the family unit” and shroud America’s true, Christian roots.

From Salon

Related Words

• frantic