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overqualified

American

[oh-ver-kwol-uh-fahyd] / ˈoʊ vərˈkwɒl əˌfaɪd /

adjective

having more education, training, or experience than is required for a job or position.

overqualified British

/ ˌəʊvəˈkwɒlɪˌfaɪd /

adjective

having more managerial experience or academic qualifications than required for a particular job

"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

Etymology

Origin of overqualified

First recorded in 1950–55; over- + qualified

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.

I’m paid 25 percent less than I was for my job at Meta, with five annual PTO days and zero paid holidays, and I’m overqualified for the work I do.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Gen Z women participate in the workforce at higher rates than their male counterparts, and often accept jobs they’re overqualified for rather than not working.

From Salon • Nov. 21, 2025

She got the hiring manager on board by stressing that this seemingly overqualified candidate was new to developing mobile applications.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

Gilchrist scored 17 Test hundreds as he switched between a destroyer of tiring attacks to a man overqualified for a rebuild from number seven when the great Australian top order did fail.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2025

“Well, the whole thing doesn’t really strike me as your type of scene, but if you ask me, you’re overqualified for the job.”

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023