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overmind

overmind

1 9.9
A single mind that controls a group like an alien hive
  • noun
  • /ˈoʊvərˌmaɪnd/
  • Literature
translation icon : supermente
  • In the sci-fi novel, the overmind dictated the actions of all its followers.

Examples

  • On Tarsonis, Sarah Kerrigan was betrayed by her allies and left to die by the people she trusted most—but she survived, twisted by the terrifying Zerg Overmind.

    Blog text (2)
  • "So we are all tiny parts of a vast species-overmind?"

    Fiction book (2001)
  • "And if the overmind does not agree?"

    Fiction book (2001)
  • "What does the overmind do?

    Fiction book (2001)
  • This may compel the attention of the overmind.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • "Only the overmind possesses the overview."

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The aliens communicated through a collective intelligence known as the overmind.

  • The concept of an overmind suggests that individuals are part of a larger, unified thought process.

Synonyms

mastermind
vsovermind
77 6.1

A person who plans and leads a difficult, clever project

is a single controlling intelligence directing a whole group's actions
superorganism
vsovermind
8.4

A large group or system that acts like a single unit

is a central intelligence that controls the group from one source
overgod
vsovermind
9.9

A person or group much more powerful than others in an area

focuses on a central mind that controls others rather than mere dominance

Antonyms

2.3

A single person or animal regarded separately from a group

7 3.8

A lack of order or system that makes things untidy

How Controlling

overmind
  • Literature
1 9.9
groupthink
11 7.1

Surface Forms

overmind singular
overminds plural

Morphology

overmind = mind (transparent) = over + mind

The meaning 'a mind above or controlling others' is directly inferable from the productive prefix 'over-' plus 'mind'.

Etymology

Overmind is a simple compound of over- meaning 'above', as in oversee, and mind meaning 'thought' or 'thinking'. So an overmind is like a 'mind above' that directs or controls many minds, which fits the science fiction idea of one intelligence guiding a group.