overrate

verb

over·​rate ˈō-vər-ˌrāt How to pronounce overrate (audio)
overrated; overrating; overrates

transitive verb

: to rate or value (someone or something) too highly
By grossly overrating the danger from Communist agents inside the United States, the scaremongering of the House Un-American Activities Committee boosted the impression that Communist monsters in general were a mythical breed.Norman Davies
… they have an undersized shooting guard … who so vastly overrates his abilities that he declined management's five-year, $50 million extension offer.Jack McCallum
see also overrated

Examples of overrate in a Sentence

The coach tends to overrate the players on his own team. I think the critics seriously overrated that movie.
Recent Examples on the Web This is too much for reviewers accustomed to simplistic sci-fi/comic-book formula, overrating the inanity of Damian Chazelle’s First Man and preferring Gravity to the depth and beauty of De Palma’s Mission to Mars. Armond White, National Review, 8 Mar. 2024 Most Americans overrate their abilities to avoid scams, according to a recent Citi survey. Michael Steinbach, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2024 Some critics claim that Sandler is overrated in departures like this, suggesting that many better actors could play his role just as well. Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 23 Oct. 2023 So sure, the schematics might be overrated, but they shouldn’t be overlooked. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024 Some online commenters called the In-N-Out burger overrated. Emily Heil, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023 The flourish of bringing the whole bird to the table is overrated in my opinion, anyway — let the people eat! Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023 That contrast suggests that some directors may overrate the cybersecurity expertise of board members who don’t have professional experience in the field. Rob Sloan, WSJ, 25 Sep. 2023 In a vacuum, declaring a team overrated before a single down has been played in the college football season might seem more than a little harsh. USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overrate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overrate was in 1599

Dictionary Entries Near overrate

Cite this Entry

“Overrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overrate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

overrate

verb
over·​rate ˌō-və(r)-ˈrāt How to pronounce overrate (audio)
: to rate, value, or estimate too highly
a book that was overrated

More from Merriam-Webster on overrate

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