overcompensate

[ oh-ver-kom-puhn-seyt ]

verb (used with object)

, o·ver·com·pen·sat·ed, o·ver·com·pen·sat·ing.

1. to compensate or reward excessively; overpay:

   Some stockholders feel the executives are being overcompensated and that bonuses should be reduced.

verb (used without object)

, o·ver·com·pen·sat·ed, o·ver·com·pen·sat·ing.

1. to exhibit psychological overcompensation; strive to overcome a sense of inferiority through overt, opposite behavior:

   The aggressive patient may be overcompensating, and be a profoundly shy person beneath the façade.

overcompensate

/ ˌəʊvəˈkɒmpɛnˌseɪt /

verb

1. to compensate (a person or thing) excessively
2. intr psychol to engage in overcompensation

Derived Forms

• ˌoverˈcompenˌsatory, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of overcompensate¹

1760–70; over- + compensate; as term in psychology, perhaps back formation from overcompensation

Example Sentences

George may have been overcompensating a bit for his extreme displeasure with the route this country took after the election of Ronald Reagan and who could blame him?

From Salon

They don't seem to get that bullies are usually overcompensating.

From Salon

Graterol says he thinks his shoulder discomfort, which he described as minor, was a result of overcompensating for his hip in his mechanics.

From Los Angeles Times

“You have to start somewhere, and sometimes you have to overcompensate,” Al-Lazeez said.

From Seattle Times

While it overcompensated in response to some prompts, in others it was “more cautious than we intended and refused to answer certain prompts entirely — wrongly interpreting some very anodyne prompts as sensitive.”

From Seattle Times