overdress

American  

[oh-ver-dres, oh-ver-dres] / ˌoʊ vərˈdrɛs, ˈoʊ vərˌdrɛs /

verb (used with or without object)

overdressed, overdressing

1. to dress with too much display, finery, or formality.

   He certainly overdressed for the occasion.

2. to put excessive clothing on.

   She tends to overdress her children.

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noun

1. a dress worn over another, which it covers either partially or completely.

overdress British  

verb

1. to dress (oneself or another) too elaborately or finely

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noun

1. a dress that may be worn over a jumper, blouse, etc

Etymology

Origin of overdress

First recorded in 1700–10; over- + dress

Example Sentences

“It’s just flagrantly obnoxious to overdress in a workplace situation, especially when you’re a junior member,” said Gunn, best known for being a clear-eyed mentor on the fashion-design competition show “Project Runway.”

From The Wall Street Journal

And the older guests, slightly overdressed for the occasion, can be seen smuggling their ties back into their pockets.

From BBC

She made everyone else look overdone and overdressed, washing the Augean stables of Cannes clean.

From New York Times

Or 1989, widely and unfairly remembered as the Worst Oscars Ever, which Schulman, a staff writer for The New Yorker, dissects like a forensic pathologist hovering over an overdressed corpse.

From New York Times

In her enormous cheetah-print coat, black turtleneck and strappy black sandals she was, she acknowledged, a little overdressed for the setting, but she had come straight from a photo shoot.

From New York Times

Related Words

• attire
• clothe
• deck out
• embellish
• spruce up