overachiever

American  

[oh-ver-uh-chee-ver] / ˌoʊ vər əˈtʃi vər /

Also over-achiever

noun

1. a person who performs better or achieves more than people are generally expected to, often because of high ambition, pressure from family, etc..

   Ever the overachiever, he reached his sales goal for the year a whopping five months early.

2. a person who performs, especially academically, above the potential indicated by tests of their mental ability or aptitude.

   We found many overachievers with modest SAT scores who nevertheless achieved high GPAs across a variety of majors.

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Etymology

Origin of overachiever

First recorded in 1935–40; over- ( def. ) + achieve ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

If the bare minimum is enough for you to be seen and recognized for solid work, there might be no need to become an office overachiever.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025

Gilbert, who had the same likelihood of inheriting the disease but did not, said losing them turned her into an overachiever who always wanted to fight for the underdog.

From Salon • Aug. 17, 2025

Mr. Cherry is best known for his role as the snarky overachiever Dylan in the dystopian Apple TV+ workplace thriller series “Severance.”

From New York Times • Apr. 6, 2024

Beau, the overachiever, was elected attorney general of Delaware, served in Iraq, was diagnosed in 2013 with brain cancer and died.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2023

“Every time a leftover freeze hits an overachiever bunch of flowers, humans panic. But the flowers just say, ‘We got this.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper