Overcompensate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To engage in behavior that attempts to correct a flaw by providing excessive or disproportionate responses in other aspects of life
2. To address a perceived lack or weakness by disproportionately enhancing or intensifying efforts in different areas
3. To respond to a feeling of inadequacy by excessively increasing effort or behavior in another area

Etymology: "Overcompensate" is a plain compound: the prefix "over-" attached to "compensate." The prefix traces back through Old English "ofer" to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "above" or "beyond," ultimately descended from the same ancient Indo-European base that gave us "over" and its Latin cousin "super." It is a native English building block, not a borrowed one. "Compensate" comes from Latin "compensare," meaning to weigh one thing against another, from "com-" (together) and "pensare" (to weigh). That original sense of balancing scales survives in the modern idea of making up for a loss. Put the two parts together and the word describes weighing something so heavily that it tips past balance, pushing the correction beyond what was needed.

Synonyms: overcorrect, overbalance, overadjust, compensate excessively, overreact

Antonyms: undercompensate, neglect, ignore, disregard, overlook