Definitions

overwrought

[oh-ver-rawt, oh-ver-] / ˈoʊ vərˈrɔt, ˌoʊ vər- /

ADJECTIVE

exhausted and excited

Synonyms

STRONGEST

frantic

WEAK

affected agitated all shook up beside oneself crazy distracted emotional excitable fired-up flipped-out freaked-out histrionic histrionical hot under collar hot-and-bothered hyper in a state nervous neurotic on edge overexcited overstrung overworked spent steamed up stirred strung-out tense tired uneasy unstrung uptight weary wired worked-up worn wound-up

Antonyms

WEAK

calm collected cool rested unruffled

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Overwrought rhetoric on domestic affairs is one thing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026

Overwrought with information about transmission rates and handwashing routines, my mind was hungry for moments of the harmless indulgence of a day dream: Who was flying in a pandemic?

From Slate • Mar. 12, 2021

Overwrought love letters began turning up on the notice board at the University of Manchester’s computer lab in August, 1953.

From The New Yorker • Feb. 14, 2017

Overwrought effects include Ivania Stack’s aggressively threadbare peasant costumes, and the show’s awkwardness hits its peak when actors strip down to faux-nude leotards with arteries and veins stitched to the fabric.

From Washington Post • Mar. 23, 2016

Overwrought with curiosity as I was, I experienced a pang of compunction.

From The King of Schnorrers Grotesques and Fantasies by Zangwill, Israel

Vocabulary lists containing overwrought

The Phantom Tollbooth

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A Streetcar Named Desire

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Don't Panic! Synonyms for "Stress"

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