overachiever

Also o·ver-a·chiev·er

[oh-ver-uh-chee-ver]

noun

1. a person who performs better or achieves more than people are generally expected to, often because of high ambition, pressure from family, etc..

   Ever the overachiever, he reached his sales goal for the year a whopping five months early.

2. a person who performs, especially academically, above the potential indicated by tests of their mental ability or aptitude.

   We found many overachievers with modest SAT scores who nevertheless achieved high GPAs across a variety of majors.

Word History and Origins

Origin of overachiever¹

First recorded in 1935–40; over- ( def. ) + achieve ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Gilbert, who had the same likelihood of inheriting the disease but did not, said losing them turned her into an overachiever who always wanted to fight for the underdog.

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Like any friend group, “Next Gen NYC” is filled with overachievers and underachievers; people who have family money and people who work long hours, scraping by to make their way in the big city.

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Flack considered herself an overachiever, a stubborn perfectionist and was given to self-reflection.

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Harris recalls being an overachiever as a child and aspiring to become an obstetrician.

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He could be a special adviser, coaxing the best out of overachievers like himself.

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