overreact

O1V4E1R1R1E1A1C3T1
US/ˌoʊ.vəɹ.ɹiˈækt/UK/ˌəʊvəɹiˈækt/

verb

To react too much or too intensely.

“overreact to bad news”

OriginEnglish react ← Middle English acte ← Old French act →
UncommonScrabble 14
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verboverreact (third-person singular simple present overreacts, present participle overreacting, simple past and past participle overreacted)

present singular third person overreacts · participle present overreacting · participle past overreacted · past overreacted

  1. To react too much or too intensely.

    overreact to bad news

    1 more example

    Please try not to overreact if she drives badly when she is first learning.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
hyperreact

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*úp
  2. Proto-Indo-European*upér
  3. Proto-Germanic*uber
  4. Old Englishofer-
  5. Middle Englishover-
  6. Englishover-
  7. Proto-Italic*wre-
  8. Latinre-
  9. Old Frenchre-
  10. Middle Englishre-
  11. Englishre-
  12. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eǵ-
  13. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éǵeti
  14. Proto-Italic*agō
  15. Latinagō
  16. Latināctus
  17. Latinācta
  18. Old Frenchact
  19. Middle Englishacte
  20. Englishact
  21. Englishreact
  22. Englishoverreact

From over- + react.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic ثور بصورة مبالغة
  • ثور بصورة مبالغة (thawr bisurat mubalagha)react too much or too intensely
Chinese Mandarin 反應過度 /反应过度
  • 反應過度 /反应过度 (fǎnyìng guòdù)react too much or too intensely
Esperanto tro reagi
  • tro reagireact too much or too intensely
Finnish reagoida liioitellusti, ylireagoida
  • reagoida liioitellustireact too much or too intensely
  • ylireagoidareact too much or too intensely
  • tehdä ylilyöntireact too much or too intensely
French s'emporter, surréagir
  • s'emporterreact too much or too intensely
  • surréagirreact too much or too intensely
  • exagérerreact too much or too intensely
German überreagieren
  • überreagierenreact too much or too intensely
Greek αντιδράσω υπερβολικά
  • αντιδράσω υπερβολικά (antidráso ypervoliká)react too much or too intensely
Hungarian túlreagál
  • túlreagálreact too much or too intensely
Italian reagire troppo
  • reagire tropporeact too much or too intensely
Japanese 過剰反応する
  • 過剰反応する (kajō hannō suru)react too much or too intensely
Korean 과잉 반응하다
  • 과잉 반응하다 (gwaing ban-eunghada)react too much or too intensely
Norwegian overreagere
  • overreagerereact too much or too intensely
Portuguese reagir demais
  • reagir demaisreact too much or too intensely
Romanian reacționa exagerat
  • reacționa exageratreact too much or too intensely
Russian слишком остро реагировать
  • слишком остро реагировать (sliškom ostro reagirovatʹ)react too much or too intensely
Spanish sobrerreaccionar, reaccionar exageradamente / hiperbólicamente
  • sobrerreaccionarreact too much or too intensely
  • reaccionar exageradamente / hiperbólicamentereact too much or too intensely
Thai แสดงออก
  • แสดงออก (S̄ædngxxk)react too much or too intensely
Vietnamese phản ứng thái quá
  • phản ứng thái quáreact too much or too intensely

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

overtrace
Cite this entry
APA

overreact. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overreact

MLA

“overreact.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overreact. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “overreact,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overreact.

Source: overreact on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.