Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

overpraise

American  
[oh-ver-preyz] / ˈoʊ vərˈpreɪz /

verb (used with object)

overpraised, overpraising
  1. to praise excessively or unduly.


noun

  1. excessive or undeserved praise.

Etymology

Origin of overpraise

1350–1400; Middle English overpreisen (v.); see over-, praise

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Even last year,, external Chappell, rarely one to overpraise English batting, grouped Crawley with Root and Harry Brook as England's key Ashes batters.

From BBC Nov. 25, 2025

I stopped listening to the episodes that featured celebrities, which often felt like stops on press junkets, full of overpraise for the guest’s “work.”

From Slate Jun. 19, 2018

So let us not overpraise ourselves for being enlightened.

From Seattle Times May 3, 2017

This manages to both overpraise and insult his team all at once, very impressive.

From The Guardian Dec. 9, 2015

It is impossible to overpraise the work of such men as Captains Arthur J. Hepburn, Lyman A. Cotten, and William P. Cronan, in "licking" the splendid raw material into shape.

From The Victory At Sea by Burton J. Hendrick

The theatrical hype machine needs a winner, but let’s not hold the way “Kimberly Akimbo” has been overpraised against it.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 11, 2023

A portrait of James Russell Lowell, his overpraised poetical antecedent, was hung proudly in his study.

From New York Times Aug. 12, 2022

I couldn’t understand why she was so wildly overpraised for doing things like hugging a sick boy, or why her being on a boat with a man was fascinating.

From Slate Nov. 23, 2020

It has caused wrinkled critical noses here and there, and I am apparently in a minority in preferring it to his bafflingly overpraised previous film The Big Short.

From The Guardian Jan. 4, 2019

The Yorks had a pleasantly comfortable home life, and Ronnie, overloved and overpraised by his parents and a worshipful younger sister, was the adored center of it.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Yet there is a risk of overpraising her merits.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 27, 2026

I learned my lesson after overpraising one of your stories and having you protest that I always loved everything you did.

From Washington Post Aug. 30, 2021

Recent studies have turned conventional wisdom on its head, concluding that overpraising kids makes them less confident and motivated.

From Time Oct. 1, 2013

Obama risks overpraising himself, even as he takes pains to credit the workers at the companies.

From Slate Feb. 6, 2012

With Aunty Uju, they hovered and groveled, curtseying deeply as they greeted her, overpraising her handbag and shoes.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training