overblown

[oh-ver-blohn]

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adjective

overdone or excessive: overblown praise.

of unusually large size or proportions: a majestic, overblown figure.

overinflated; turgid; bombastic; pretentious: overblown prose.

verb

past participle of overblow.

Origin of overblown

First recorded in 1590–1600; over- + blown¹

overblown

[oh-ver-blohn]

adjective

(of a flower) past the stage of full bloom; more than full-blown: an overblown rose.

Origin of overblown

First recorded in 1610–20; over- + blown²

overblow

[oh-ver-bloh]

verb (used with object), o·ver·blew, o·ver·blown, o·ver·blow·ing.

to give excessive importance or value to: to overblow one's own writing.

to overinflate.

to blow over the surface of, as the wind, sand, or the like: dead leaves overblowing the yard.

to blow (a wind instrument or an organ pipe) in such a way as to produce overtones.

verb (used without object), o·ver·blew, o·ver·blown, o·ver·blow·ing.

to overblow a wind instrument.

Origin of overblow

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at over-, blow²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for overblown

inflated, superfluous, disproportionate, pretentious, aureate, bombastic, flowery, fulsome, grandiloquent, immoderate, magniloquent, oratorical, overdone, pompous, profuse, rhetorical, sonorous, turgid, undue, verbose

Examples from the Web for overblown

Contemporary Examples of overblown

I suspect he chose the Dred Scott comparison precisely because of its overblown, grandiose nature.
The Right Wing Screams for the Wambulance Over Gay Marriage Ruling
Walter Olson
October 13, 2014
Funny enough, my mom and dad soon began watching the show with me, realizing that their initial concerns were overblown.
Growing Up with Bart Simpson
Alex Suskind
August 31, 2014
It was there, Walker pointed out, that the two of them had the overblown “confrontation” that had now taken over his life.
The Weirdest Story About a Conservative Obsession, a Convicted Bomber, and Taylor Swift You Have Ever Read
David Weigel
August 30, 2014
But Dr. Rebecca Brightman, an ob-gyn in private practice, cautioned that such fears are overblown.
The Next Big Environmental Fight: Tampons?
Keli Goff
May 2, 2014
But as these athletes make such revelations, critics (and some supporters) say the hubbub is overblown.
The Jason Collins Effect: Yes, They Can
Nicholas McCarvel
April 29, 2014

Historical Examples of overblown

Or ‘Friar Tuck’ so overblown He tipped the scale at fifteen stone.
A Humorous History of England
C. Harrison
One of these is notoriously tumidity—an overblown exaggeration of phrase.
Studies of the Greek Poets (Vol I of 2)
John Addington Symonds
Surely she could never become gross and overblown, the damask fading to an underwater bleach, dugs swollen to down pillows!
Wilderness of Spring
Edgar Pangborn
Yet Laura was neither gross nor unclean—indeed, pretty in her overblown way, and certainly friendly.
Wilderness of Spring
Edgar Pangborn
He looked like an overblown schoolboy, and though I felt so sorry for him, I could hardly help laughing.
The Moon and Sixpence
W. Somerset Maugham

British Dictionary definitions for overblown

overblown

adjective

overdone or excessive

bombastic; turgidoverblown prose

(of flowers, such as the rose) past the stage of full bloom

overblow

verb -blows, -blowing, -blew or -blown

music to blow into (a wind instrument) with greater force than normal in order to obtain a harmonic or overtone instead of the fundamental tone

to blow (a wind instrument) or (of a wind instrument) to be blown too hard

to blow over, away, or across

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

Word Origin and History for overblown

adj.

late 15c., "blown over, passed away," past participle adjective from verb overblow "to blow over the top of," of a storm, "to abate, pass on" (late 14c.), from over- + blow (v.). Meaning "inflated, puffed up" (with vanity, etc.) is from 1864.