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Glite Dictionary
💸 Negative balance 🎭 Exaggerated
overdrawn

overdrawn

1 5.7
Speech or writing that is too dramatic and emotional
  • adjective
  • /ˌoʊvərˈdrɔːn/
translation icon : exagerado
  • Her description of the event was so overdrawn that it sounded more like a dramatic movie than reality.

No, I, I think that's, I think that's overdrawn a lot.

Examples

  • Key to this work was Weber's observation that the near-polar opposition of the human to the natural, as understood by Dilthey, was overdrawn.

    Academic text (2016)

  • It's a valid point to make, but it is seriously overdrawn.

    Blog text (16)

  • Yet perhaps the line between these two "ideal types" has been overdrawn.

    Academic text (2001)

  • I think this article is fine but overdrawn.

    Blog text (25)

  • This problem, I believe, is overdrawn.

    Academic text (1990)

  • The difference between the mechanical and mental forms should not be overdrawn.

    Academic text (2001)

  • These contrasts, he writes, tend to be overdrawn.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Those arguments do indeed have merit, though they are sometimes overdrawn in ways that characterize so much political rhetoric.

    Academic text (1992)

  • This move on the part of the AD offers strong evidence that any threat that democratization would inevitably involve radical economic and social change was somewhat overdrawn, to say the least.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Though a definitive answer to this question cannot yet be provided, new research on a number of other cities does suggest that the traditional picture of Irish working-class conservatism has been considerably overdrawn.

    Academic text (1992)

Synonyms

over-the-top
vsoverdrawn
61 5.2

Very extreme or exaggerated in a way that seems unreasonable

applies more to language that is emotionally charged or too detailed
overblown
vsoverdrawn
28 5.7

Exaggerated and showy in style or speech

leans more toward emotional exaggeration and excess description than pompousness
overdramatic
vsoverdrawn
7 4.9

Showing too much feeling about small things

focuses more on exaggerated wording and excess descriptive detail
overemotional
vsoverdrawn
3 5.0

Showing too much feeling for the situation

covers emotional excess but also exaggerated description and detail
overemphatic
vsoverdrawn
1 6.8

Saying something with too much force so it sounds fake

places more weight on vivid detail and emotional excess than forceful tone
overdone
vsoverdrawn
3.9

Made to seem bigger or more important than it really is

is similar but highlights emotional tone and overly detailed description
over-embellished
vsoverdrawn
7.3

Too decorated so it looks showy and not natural

focuses more on emotional exaggeration and too much descriptive detail
overprecise
vsoverdrawn
7.3

Being more exact than needed

is more about vivid exaggeration and emotional wording than mere precision
overstudied
vsoverdrawn
6.8

Looks unnatural because of too much practice

is closer to spontaneous exaggeration and overly emotional description
overlofty
vsoverdrawn
8.2

Having goals or ideas that are too high and unrealistic

is centered on emotional exaggeration and excess descriptive detail rather than grandeur

Antonyms

understated
27 6.5

Simple and quiet in a way that looks elegant

How Dramatic

histrionic
6 8.7
melodramatic
32 5.6
overdrawn
1 5.7

Surface Forms

overdrawn positive

Morphology

overdrawn = overdraw (semi-transparent) = over + draw + n

The components 'over' + 'draw' are clear, but the sense 'exaggerated' is a metaphorical extension of 'overdraw', so the relation is not fully literal.

Etymology

Overdrawn for speech or writing comes from over- meaning 'too much' and drawn from draw, which here means 'to describe or picture'. So an overdrawn story is one 'pictured' or described 'too much', making it feel exaggerated.