Overbolstering

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Giving too much extra support or strengthening to something beyond what is necessary
2. Adding more support than needed, often excessively reinforcing a structure or idea
3. Supplying an overabundance of reinforcements, going beyond adequate support levels

Etymology: "Overbolstering" is built from "over-" and "bolster," with the gerund ending "-ing" added to make it a verb form. The base word "bolster" comes from Old English "bolster," a cushion or pillow, which is itself related to the Germanic root behind "bolt" in the sense of a stiff roll of cloth. A bolster was the long pillow that propped up the head of a bed, so the original image is of something placed underneath to hold a weight. From that domestic use, "bolster" came to mean something that gives support to a structure or a person, and by the sixteenth century it was used figuratively for backing up an argument, a reputation or a cause. The prefix "over-," meaning excessive or beyond the proper amount, turns that support into too much of it. Someone who overbolsters a weak claim piles on so much backing that the underlying weakness becomes more visible rather than less.

Synonyms: overreinforcing, excessively supporting, overstrengthening, too strongly bolstering, overaugmenting

Antonyms: underbolstering, weakly supporting, underreinforcing, insufficiently bolstering, understrengthening