overcompensate
Americanverb (used with object)
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overcompensates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overcompensated,
past participle, past
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overcompensating
present participle
verb (used without object)
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overcompensates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overcompensated,
past participle, past
-
overcompensating
present participle
verb
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to compensate (a person or thing) excessively
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(intr) psychol to engage in overcompensation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overcompensatesimple
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overcompensatessimple
-
have overcompensatedperfect
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has overcompensatedperfect
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am overcompensatingprogressive
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are overcompensatingprogressive
-
is overcompensatingprogressive
-
have been overcompensatingperfect progressive
-
has been overcompensatingperfect progressive
Past
-
overcompensatedsimple
-
had overcompensatedperfect
-
was overcompensatingprogressive
-
were overcompensatingprogressive
-
had been overcompensatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overcompensate
1760–70; over- + compensate; as term in psychology, perhaps back formation from overcompensation
Vocabulary lists containing overcompensate
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Those caught short, like India and Australia, might overcompensate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
This sounds obvious, she says, but many people “neglect to pause” and try to overcompensate, which causes them to talk in circles.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 16, 2026
The elephantine grand piano can easily bully its smaller partners or timidly overcompensate.
From New York Times ● May 6, 2023
The trades made in recent days might optimize those cores to reach their full potential, but it’s doubtful any could overcompensate for them if they fall short.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2023
The train is moving so slowly that I overcompensate with my landing, too used to running off the momentum, and I fall.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
Inflationary pressures from this wage growth may mean a rate-cutting Fed overcompensates with more aggressive balance sheet cuts to sustain credibility.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
“But we think that spread in P/E multiples overcompensates for the quality difference between the two companies.”
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 5, 2026
Elena rejects Dovydas at certain times, and Dovydas overcompensates at moments that have them determining if and how they can be together.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2023
The songs are written from the point of view of a "woman who feels powerless and overcompensates by exercising extreme control on herself and on her environment," Mitski told The Outline.
From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2018
Working from a screenplay by Douglas Soesbe that juggles contrivance and insight, Montiel labors to avoid sensationalizing Nolan's story, and in the process he overcompensates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2015
They championed Apple TV Plus early, for instance, even if they overcompensated by practically salivating all over “Ted Lasso.”
From Washington Post ● Jul. 12, 2022
Others are saying she overcompensated for her unconvincing aggressiveness last time round - and was too defensive this time.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2022
After its sales skyrocketed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Peloton overcompensated by spending hundreds of millions to expedite shipping and build a new factory.
From The Verge ● Feb. 19, 2022
It’s difficult to assess those losses, and by some estimates, corn and soybean farmers have been overcompensated.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 21, 2019
He was painfully shy, which, as is often the manner of the painfully shy, he overcompensated for by being too loud at the wrong times.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
The series stars Rhys as overcompensating mayor Tom Loftis, with a supporting cast that includes veteran actors Stephen Root, Dale Dickey and Kate O’Flynn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
However, the director of the body that represents the lending industry said it thought the FCA was "overcompensating".
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026
There was the stomach virus at the start of the year, which caused him to lose 20 pounds and develop bad swing habits while overcompensating for a decline in physical strength.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
They don't seem to get that bullies are usually overcompensating.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2024
But was Rowan overcompensating now by choosing the most pleasant looking of them?
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
