Overcategorize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To divide or organize something into an excessively large number of separate categories or groups
2. To sort or classify material into more distinct categories than is practical or necessary
3. To break down a subject or collection into an unnecessary abundance of distinct categorical divisions

Etymology: "Overcategorize" is simply the prefix "over-", meaning excessively or too much, attached to "categorize," a verb meaning to sort things into classes or groups. Put together, it describes the act of sorting things into categories more finely or more often than is useful. The prefix does the real work here. "Over-" has been productive in English for centuries, producing pairs like "overcook" and "overpay," where the meaning is simply doing something beyond what is needed. Attaching it to "categorize" follows that same pattern, so the word needs no special history of its own: it reads exactly as its parts suggest.

Synonyms: overclassify

Antonyms: undercategorize