overrate

American

[oh-ver-reyt] / ˌoʊ vərˈreɪt /

verb (used with object)

overrated, overrating

to rate or appraise too highly; overestimate.

I think you overrate their political influence.

Synonyms:

magnify, overpraise

overrate British

/ ˌəʊvəˈreɪt /

verb

(tr) to assess too highly

"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 overrate

First recorded in 1580–90; over- + rate ¹

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 guess I’d like to be not quite as underrated — maybe even, dare I say, to be overrated.

From Los Angeles Times

“I think the specific motive, the French election, that has been discussed in the media is overrated,” Kocher said.

From The Wall Street Journal

We came to Park City to argue, to coalesce around favorites, to hate on the overrated.

From Los Angeles Times

“Throw away that skirt. It is a talent, to learn to dress like yourself. Beauty is overrated, but it is not a sin.”

From Literature

When a movement loses its ability to shape events, it begins to overrate the importance of symbols.

From The Wall Street Journal

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