overthink
verb
over·think
| \ ˌō-vər-ˈthiŋk
\
\
overthought\ ˌō-vər-ˈthȯt
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overthinking
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overthinking
Definition of overthink
: to think too much about (something) : to put too much time into thinking about or analyzing (something) in a way that is more harmful than helpful
overthink a situation/problem someone who overthinks and worries too much "I was a terrible actor when I went to New York. I was scared. I would overprepare, sometimes overthink a role."— Paul Newman For a while now, I've been finding current fiction hard to read: airlessly competent, relentlessly put-together, overthought.— David Gates
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Examples of overthink in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Asked about the fine line of pitching angry while trying to stay within his mechanics, Jansen suggested that was overthinking it. — Doug Padilla, sun-sentinel.com, "Ryu, bullpen dominant as Dodgers edge Marlins," 20 July 2019 There’s nothing to overthink in a one-start span like that. — John Shipley, Twin Cities, "Twins handcuffed by White Sox ace Lucas Giolito in 4-0 loss," 21 Aug. 2019 On the other hand, sometimes everyone overthinks these things. — Andrew Sharp, SI.com, "The Case for Kemba Walker on the Celtics," 26 June 2019 Projecting PG Trae Young isn't easy, but are teams overthinking it? 9. — Michael Singer, USA TODAY, "2018 NBA mock draft 3.0: Michael Porter Jr. vaults up board; Cavs nab Trae Young," 15 June 2018 Don't overthink it (or over do it) and keep the scheduling to a minimum. — Heather Hall, Harper's BAZAAR, "10 Bridal Shower Game Ideas You Won't Hate Playing," 5 June 2019 Some, like your head and arm positioning, are possible to change over time and may make running feel a bit easier, while others, like the way your foot strikes the ground, probably aren’t worth overthinking (more on that in a bit). — Amy Marturana, SELF, "Here’s What Proper Running Form Actually Is and How Much You Should Care About It," 2 Apr. 2019 Simple and sublime, there’s no need to overthink it. — Mark Kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press, "Balkan House in Hamtramck is metro Detroit's only spot for German-style doner kebab," 13 June 2019 In other words, biology (possibly excepting ourselves) seems to take great care not to overthink the problem of survival. — Quanta Magazine, "How Life (and Death) Spring From Disorder," 26 Jan. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'overthink.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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