Overrates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To ascribe an inflated worth or significance to something
2. To evaluate a person or an object as being more valuable or important than it genuinely is
3. To judge something as having greater value or importance than it actually possesses

Etymology: "Overrates" is the third-person singular form of "overrate," so it is the verb "overrate" with the -s ending attached for "he, she, or it." The verb itself is a plain compound of "over" and "rate," with no surprising detour behind it. "Over" descends from an ancient root shared by many languages, reaching English through Proto-Germanic and Old English "ofer," while "rate" is the familiar word for a valuation or price, adopted from Old French and Medieval Latin. Put together, "overrate" means to value something beyond what it deserves, the same way "overpay" means to pay more than is fair. The prefix "over-" has been productive in English for centuries, so compounds like this were built on demand rather than coined at a single moment by a single writer.

Synonyms: exaggerates, overvalues, overestimates

Antonyms: underrates, underestimates, devalues