overcompensation

[ oh-ver-kom-puhn-sey-shuhn ]

/ ˈoʊ vərˌkɒm pənˈseɪ ʃən /

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See synonyms for overcompensation on Thesaurus.com

noun Psychoanalysis.

a pronounced striving to neutralize and conceal a strong but unacceptable character trait by substituting for it an opposite trait.

compensation to an unnecessary or unreasonable degree: The pay was overcompensation for the work done.

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Origin of overcompensation

1915–20; over- + compensation; as psychoanalytic term, translation of Überkompensation, coined by Alfred Adler

OTHER WORDS FROM overcompensation

o·ver·com·pen·sa·to·ry

[oh-ver-kuhm-pen-suh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], /ˈoʊ vər kəmˈpɛn səˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use overcompensation in a sentence

They are always suspended over a precipice, dangling by a slender thread that shows every sign of snapping.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And now, similarly, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee: "Bend over and take it like a prisoner!"
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps on his own nowadays, Epstein is trying his best to webmaster over a dozen URLs.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But yes, I pictured a James Bond-type just sauntering over to her.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The debate over who really pulled off the Sony hack, then, could continue indefinitely.
Was Sony Hit With a Second Hack?|Shane Harris|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is most peculiar, and when he plays that way, the most bewitching little expression comes over his face.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
All over the world the just claims of organized labor are intermingled with the underground conspiracy of social revolution.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
After we had passed over this desert, we found several garisons to defend the caravans from the violence of the Tartars.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
After relievedly giving the pistol to the nearest soldier, he stumbled quickly over to Brion and took his hand.
Sense of Obligation|Henry Maxwell Dempsey (AKA Harry Harrison)
Solely over one man therein thou hast quite absolute control.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou

British Dictionary definitions for overcompensation

overcompensation

/ (ˌəʊvəˌkɒmpɛnˈseɪʃən) /

noun

psychol an attempt to make up for a character trait by overexaggerating its opposite

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for overcompensation

overcompensation

[ ō′vər-kŏm′pən-sā′shən ]

Excessive compensation, especially the exertion of effort beyond what is needed to compensate for a physical or psychological characteristic or defect.

overcompensation

Origin of overcompensation

OTHER WORDS FROM overcompensation

Words related to overcompensation

How to use overcompensation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for overcompensation

Medical definitions for overcompensation