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overact

o·ver·act
O o

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [oh-ver-akt]
    • /ˌoʊ vərˈækt/
    • /ˌəʊ.vəˈrækt/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [oh-ver-akt]
    • /ˌoʊ vərˈækt/

Definitions of overact word

  • noun overact (of an actor) act a role in an exaggerated manner. 1
  • intransitive verb overact be overly theatrical 1
  • verb overact If you say that someone overacts, you mean they exaggerate their emotions and movements, usually when acting in a play. 0
  • verb overact to act or behave in an exaggerated manner, as in a theatrical production 0
  • verb transitive overact to act (a dramatic role) in an exaggerated way 0

Information block about the term

Origin of overact

First appearance:

before 1605
One of the 40% oldest English words
First recorded in 1605-15; over- + act

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Overact

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

overact popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 66% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 60% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

Synonyms for overact

verb overact

  • ham — the second son of Noah, Gen. 10:1.
  • exaggerate — Represent (something) as being larger, greater, better, or worse than it really is.
  • overplay — to exaggerate or overemphasize (one's role in a play, an emotion, an effect, etc.): The young actor overplayed Hamlet shamelessly. The director of the movie had overplayed the pathos.
  • act — When you act, you do something for a particular purpose.
  • dramatise — to put into a form suitable for acting on a stage.

Antonyms for overact

verb overact

  • play down — a dramatic composition or piece; drama.

Top questions with overact

  • what does overact mean?

See also

Matching words

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