"overact" meaning in English

See overact in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

IPA: /ˌəʊvəɹˈækt/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-overact.wav Forms: overacts [present, singular, third-person], overacting [participle, present], overacted [participle, past], overacted [past]
Etymology: From over- + act. Etymology templates: {{af|en|over-|act}} over- + act Head templates: {{en-verb}} overact (third-person singular simple present overacts, present participle overacting, simple past and past participle overacted)
  1. (chiefly acting) To act in an exaggerated manner. Categories (topical): Acting Translations (act in an exaggerated manner): преигравам (preigravam) (Bulgarian), overacteren (Dutch), ylinäytellä (Finnish), übertrieben spielen (German), übertreiben (German), eltúloz (Hungarian), túljátszik (Hungarian), lajak tingkah (Indonesian), laku lajak (Indonesian), gigioneggiare (Italian), exagerar (Portuguese), переигрывать (pereigryvatʹ) (Russian), sobreactuar (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-overact-en-verb-lJ0U7sJD Topics: acting, broadcasting, entertainment, film, lifestyle, media, television, theater Disambiguation of 'act in an exaggerated manner': 95 5
  2. (obsolete, transitive) To act upon, or influence, unduly. Tags: obsolete, transitive
    Sense id: en-overact-en-verb-wW9gkfLd Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English terms prefixed with over-, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Indonesian translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Spanish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 5 95 Disambiguation of English terms prefixed with over-: 26 74 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 8 92 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 9 91 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 4 96 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 14 86 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 13 87 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 10 90 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 11 89 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 9 91 Disambiguation of Terms with Indonesian translations: 10 90 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 9 91 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 9 91 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 9 91 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 11 89
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: chew the scenery, ham, ham it up, melodramatize, tear a cat Derived forms: overactor

Inflected forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "overactor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "over-",
        "3": "act"
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      "expansion": "over- + act",
      "name": "af"
    }
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  "etymology_text": "From over- + act.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "overacts",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "overacting",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "overacted",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "overacted",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
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  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {},
      "expansion": "overact (third-person singular simple present overacts, present participle overacting, simple past and past participle overacted)",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Acting",
          "orig": "en:Acting",
          "parents": [
            "Art",
            "Culture",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He overacted his part.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1989, Susheela Bhan, Terrorism: an Annotated Bibliography, page 116:",
          "text": "If governments overact and become oppressive, the terrorists will have won, for their theory is that repression will eventually lead to revolution.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2016, Leslie H. Abramson, Hitchcock & the Anxiety of Authorship:",
          "text": "The scenework proves unsuccessful when Carmichael recalls not the source of her misandry but another episode of overacting, that of castratively biting off the moustache of an amorous man.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To act in an exaggerated manner."
      ],
      "id": "en-overact-en-verb-lJ0U7sJD",
      "links": [
        [
          "acting",
          "acting#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "act",
          "act"
        ],
        [
          "exaggerated",
          "exaggerated"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly acting) To act in an exaggerated manner."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "acting",
        "broadcasting",
        "entertainment",
        "film",
        "lifestyle",
        "media",
        "television",
        "theater"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "preigravam",
          "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
          "word": "преигравам"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
          "word": "overacteren"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
          "word": "ylinäytellä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
          "word": "übertrieben spielen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
          "word": "übertreiben"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
          "word": "eltúloz"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
          "word": "túljátszik"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "id",
          "lang": "Indonesian",
          "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
          "word": "lajak tingkah"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "id",
          "lang": "Indonesian",
          "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
          "word": "laku lajak"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
          "word": "gigioneggiare"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
          "word": "exagerar"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "pereigryvatʹ",
          "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
          "word": "переигрывать"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
          "word": "sobreactuar"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "5 95",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 74",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms prefixed with over-",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 92",
          "kind": "other",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "4 96",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "14 86",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "13 87",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Dutch translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "10 90",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 89",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "10 90",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Indonesian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 89",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1670, John Milton, “(please specify the page)”, in The History of Britain, that Part Especially now Call’d England. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for James Allestry, […] , →OCLC:",
          "text": "The hope of inheritance overacts them.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1695, John Whitefoot, A Discourse upon I. Peter IV. VIII., Cambridge: John Hayes, page 16:",
          "text": "The χαμολνία, Humicubation, lying upon ground, &c. which things have been overacted, and still are in the Greek and Roman Churches.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To act upon, or influence, unduly."
      ],
      "id": "en-overact-en-verb-wW9gkfLd",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(obsolete, transitive) To act upon, or influence, unduly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌəʊvəɹˈækt/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-overact.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/06/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-overact.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-overact.wav.mp3",
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    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "chew the scenery"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "ham"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "ham it up"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "melodramatize"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "tear a cat"
    }
  ],
  "word": "overact"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms prefixed with over-",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Indonesian translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "overactor"
    }
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        "2": "over-",
        "3": "act"
      },
      "expansion": "over- + act",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From over- + act.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "overacts",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "overacting",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
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    {
      "form": "overacted",
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        "participle",
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      "args": {},
      "expansion": "overact (third-person singular simple present overacts, present participle overacting, simple past and past participle overacted)",
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
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        "English terms with usage examples",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
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      "examples": [
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          "text": "He overacted his part.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1989, Susheela Bhan, Terrorism: an Annotated Bibliography, page 116:",
          "text": "If governments overact and become oppressive, the terrorists will have won, for their theory is that repression will eventually lead to revolution.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2016, Leslie H. Abramson, Hitchcock & the Anxiety of Authorship:",
          "text": "The scenework proves unsuccessful when Carmichael recalls not the source of her misandry but another episode of overacting, that of castratively biting off the moustache of an amorous man.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To act in an exaggerated manner."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "acting",
          "acting#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "act",
          "act"
        ],
        [
          "exaggerated",
          "exaggerated"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly acting) To act in an exaggerated manner."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "acting",
        "broadcasting",
        "entertainment",
        "film",
        "lifestyle",
        "media",
        "television",
        "theater"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
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        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1670, John Milton, “(please specify the page)”, in The History of Britain, that Part Especially now Call’d England. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for James Allestry, […] , →OCLC:",
          "text": "The hope of inheritance overacts them.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1695, John Whitefoot, A Discourse upon I. Peter IV. VIII., Cambridge: John Hayes, page 16:",
          "text": "The χαμολνία, Humicubation, lying upon ground, &c. which things have been overacted, and still are in the Greek and Roman Churches.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To act upon, or influence, unduly."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(obsolete, transitive) To act upon, or influence, unduly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌəʊvəɹˈækt/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-overact.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/06/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-overact.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-overact.wav.mp3",
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    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "chew the scenery"
    },
    {
      "word": "ham"
    },
    {
      "word": "ham it up"
    },
    {
      "word": "melodramatize"
    },
    {
      "word": "tear a cat"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "preigravam",
      "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
      "word": "преигравам"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
      "word": "overacteren"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
      "word": "ylinäytellä"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
      "word": "übertrieben spielen"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
      "word": "übertreiben"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
      "word": "eltúloz"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
      "word": "túljátszik"
    },
    {
      "code": "id",
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
      "word": "lajak tingkah"
    },
    {
      "code": "id",
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
      "word": "laku lajak"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
      "word": "gigioneggiare"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
      "word": "exagerar"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "pereigryvatʹ",
      "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
      "word": "переигрывать"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "act in an exaggerated manner",
      "word": "sobreactuar"
    }
  ],
  "word": "overact"
}

Download raw JSONL data for overact meaning in English (5.0kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.