overcompensate

American  

[oh-ver-kom-puhn-seyt] / ˌoʊ vərˈkɒm pənˌseɪt /

verb (used with object)

overcompensated, overcompensating

1. to compensate or reward excessively; overpay.

   Some stockholders feel the executives are being overcompensated and that bonuses should be reduced.

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verb (used without object)

overcompensated, overcompensating

1. 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.

overcompensate British  

/ ˌəʊvəˈkɒmpɛnˌseɪt /

verb

1. to compensate (a person or thing) excessively

2. (intr) psychol to engage in overcompensation

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Other Word Forms

• overcompensatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of overcompensate

1760–70; over- + compensate; as term in psychology, perhaps back formation from overcompensation

Example Sentences

Sometimes the former defensive player of the year is forced to overcompensate for his teammates’ mistakes.

From Los Angeles Times

He said in those early years he was often overcompensating for his own feelings of inadequacy as the son of a single mom who struggled to pay the rent.

From Los Angeles Times

“It kind of rocked so many parts of my life, and kind of cracked things open. And I started to understand where my anxieties come from and why I’m overcompensating in certain areas.”

From Los Angeles Times

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

“But we think that spread in P/E multiples overcompensates for the quality difference between the two companies.”

From MarketWatch