overstate

[oh-ver-steyt]

See more synonyms for overstate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), o·ver·stat·ed, o·ver·stat·ing.

to state too strongly; exaggerate: to overstate one's position in a controversy.

Origin of overstate

First recorded in 1630–40; over- + state

Related formso·ver·state·ment, noun

Synonyms

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

overstress, embroider, magnify.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for overstate

Contemporary Examples

It is difficult to overstate how destructive the practice of dismembering ancient and medieval books is.
Dismembering History: The Shady Online Trade in Ancient Texts
Candida Moss
November 23, 2014
Maher, and certainly conservative critics, overstate the extent to which liberals fail to make common cause with such folks.
Bill Maher 1, Ben Affleck 0
Michael Tomasky
October 5, 2014
Or, not to overstate the case, it would have been like getting too far from a bathroom for the males among us 50 years later.
P.J. O’Rourke on Grabbing the Keys to Happiness
P. J. O’Rourke
January 24, 2014
It's impossible to overstate the extent of the disaster this represents for the Middle East as a region.
The Sectarian Calamity
Hussein Ibish
May 9, 2013
It is impossible to overstate just how isolated and incongruous Lady Thatcher was when she entered Parliament in 1959.
Margaret Thatcher: The Accidental Feminist
Amanda Foreman
April 9, 2013

Historical Examples

It is not my wish to overstate it; yet I leave you to imagine what the risk may be.
Mistress Wilding
Rafael Sabatini
As it was, I had an affection for him which it would not be easy for me to overstate.
In Direst Peril
David Christie Murray
All such phrases as these must appear of course to overstate the case.
Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens
G. K. Chesterton
Yet it would be easy to overstate the lawlessness of the Panhandle.
Oh, You Tex!
William Macleod Raine
While recognising this trait, then, let us not overstate either it or its consequences.
Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 2 of 3)
John Morley

British Dictionary definitions for overstate

overstate

verb

(tr) to state too strongly; exaggerate or overemphasize

Derived Formsoverstatement, noun

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

Word Origin and History for overstate

v.

1630s, "assume too much grandeur;" see over- + state (n.1). Meaning "state too strongly" is attested from 1798, from state (v.). Related: Overstated, overstating.

overstate

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Synonyms

Related Words

Examples from the Web for overstate

Contemporary Examples

It is difficult to overstate how destructive the practice of dismembering ancient and medieval books is.

Maher, and certainly conservative critics, overstate the extent to which liberals fail to make common cause with such folks.

Or, not to overstate the case, it would have been like getting too far from a bathroom for the males among us 50 years later.

It's impossible to overstate the extent of the disaster this represents for the Middle East as a region.

It is impossible to overstate just how isolated and incongruous Lady Thatcher was when she entered Parliament in 1959.

Historical Examples

It is not my wish to overstate it; yet I leave you to imagine what the risk may be.

As it was, I had an affection for him which it would not be easy for me to overstate.

All such phrases as these must appear of course to overstate the case.

Yet it would be easy to overstate the lawlessness of the Panhandle.

While recognising this trait, then, let us not overstate either it or its consequences.

overstate

Word Origin and History for overstate

v.

Origin of overstate