overcompensate
[ oh-ver-kom-puhn-seyt ]
/ ˌoʊ vərˈkɒm pənˌseɪt /
Save This Word!
verb (used with object), o·ver·com·pen·sat·ed, o·ver·com·pen·sat·ing.
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.
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.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Origin of overcompensate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for overcompensate
British Dictionary definitions for overcompensate
overcompensate
/ (ˌəʊvəˈkɒmpɛnˌseɪt) /
verb
to compensate (a person or thing) excessively
(intr) psychol to engage in overcompensation
Derived forms of overcompensate
overcompensatory, adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012