overelaborate
[adjective oh-ver-i-lab-er-it; verb oh-ver-i-lab-uh-reyt]
- excessively or fussily elaborate, ornate, detailed, etc.
Show More
- to render or present with excessive or fussy detail: He so overelaborates his jokes that they lose their humor.
Show More
- to add excessive details, as in writing or speaking: He overelaborates to an extent that his novels must be cut radically before being published.
Show More
Origin of overelaborate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
beautifulgildedglamorouslavishsumptuoussparklingmagnificentopulentelegantfancybaroquerococogaudyembroideredembellishoverdocoloroverstatedistendlieExamples from the Web for overelaborate
Historical Examples
We had had two meals, one of which was as totally unnecessary as the other was overelaborate.
The MessageAlec John Dawson
"I see," said I—for Mr. Brisher is apt to overelaborate his jokes.
Twelve Stories and a DreamH. G. Wells
It is a work unique, perhaps, in its design, but entirely unfeeling and preposterous in its overelaborate decorations.
The Cathedrals of Southern FranceFrancis Miltoun
It was a Cosway; but a Cosway broadened and without a hint of genteel namby-pamby or overelaborate finesse.
VisionariesJames Huneker
overelaborate
- excessively ornate, detailed, or complex
Show More
- (tr) to detail or develop (an idea, plan, etc) excessively
Show More
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