Overplays

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To make something seem more important or serious than it is ; to act in a theatrical or exaggerated way during a performance
2. To overstate or magnify the significance or impact of something ; to portray a character or scene with excessive emphasis
3. To overemphasize or inflate the value or effect of an event or fact ; to deliver a part with exaggerated emotion or gestures

Etymology: "Overplays" is the third-person singular form of "overplay," so the verb itself is what needs explaining. The core word, "play," goes back to Old English "plegan," meaning to engage in sport, amusement or pretence, and it sits at the root of the whole family. The prefix "over-" comes from Old English "ofer," meaning above or beyond, which gives the sense of going past a proper limit. Put together, "overplay" literally means to play beyond what is right or necessary. Its earliest sense was roughly to play too much, or to play a game or part to excess, and the figurative meaning of exaggerating something, or pushing a performance past what the moment calls for, grew naturally from that stage-and-game sense of "play." The surprising thing is how little the word has moved: a sporting or theatrical idea, pressed too hard, is still what it describes.

Synonyms: exaggerates, overacts, amplifies

Antonyms: underplays, downplays, minimizes