overblown

¹

[ oh-ver-blohn ]

adjective

1. overdone or excessive:

   overblown praise.

2. of unusually large size or proportions:

   a majestic, overblown figure.

3. overinflated; turgid; bombastic; pretentious:

   overblown prose.

verb

1. past participle of overblow.

overblown

²

[ oh-ver-blohn ]

adjective

1. (of a flower) past the stage of full bloom; more than full-blown:

   an overblown rose.

overblown

/ ˌəʊvəˈbləʊn /

adjective

1. overdone or excessive
2. bombastic; turgid

   overblown prose

3. (of flowers, such as the rose) past the stage of full bloom

Word History and Origins

Origin of overblown¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; over- + blown ¹

Origin of overblown²

First recorded in 1610–20; over- + blown ²

Example Sentences

The campaign for Measure G countered that the estimate was overblown.

From Los Angeles Times

Rogan made it clear that he thinks fears of a Trump dictatorship are overblown, noting that Trump has already held the office once.

From Salon

"A lot of the stuff that happened around Partygate was not why I resigned - I thought it was overblown," she said.

From BBC

Others suggest some of the risks are overblown.

From BBC

A senior government source has told the BBC the claims are “completely and utterly overblown” and “Sue is working with teams throughout civil service and acts with nothing but professionalism”.

From BBC

Related Words

• disproportionate
• inflated
• pretentious
• superfluous