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overrepresentation

overrepresentation

1 7.2
A group with more people or influence than is fair
  • noun
  • /ˌoʊvərˌrɛprɪˈzɛnteɪʃən/
translation icon : sobrerrepresentación
  • One weakness in the study is the overrepresentation of females and seniors in the sample.
  • overrepresentation of minority
  • overrepresentation of students
  • overrepresentation of black

Examples

  • Thus, these findings present new ways to think about reducing the overrepresentation of minority children in the child welfare system.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Concern for overrepresentation but not underrepresentation implies that special education is, on balance, more hurtful than helpful.

    Academic text (2013)
  • First is the issue of overrepresentation in special education.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The same report presents evidence that drugs are a significant cause of what it calls the overrepresentation of young blacks.

    Academic text (2007)
  • The fact of this overrepresentation is consistently documented in the professional literature and in legal case law.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Politicians detailed the overrepresentation of immigrants in benefit abuse and criminal activities.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Much of the evidence concerning overrepresentation has been misunderstood.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Findings like these point to the gross overrepresentation of AAMSM in national HIV statistics.

    Academic text (2009)
  • A number of reasons have been posited to account for the overrepresentation of Native Hawaiian students in special education.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Recent studies indicate a troubling overrepresentation of low-income students in underperforming schools.

Synonyms

disproportion
vsoverrepresentation
2 5.8

An uneven amount or size between parts of something

focuses on excess presence or influence rather than internal parts' imbalance
disproportionality
vsoverrepresentation
1 8.1

A situation when one thing is much larger or smaller than another and seems unfair

is about having more presence or influence than is fair or accurate
oversaturation
vsoverrepresentation
1 6.9

Too much of something so people cannot handle it or it does not work well

concerns too many present or influential people rather than mere excess quantity

Antonyms

A situation where a group of people appears in fewer numbers than expected

How Represented

overrepresentation
1 7.2
representation
  • Formal
135 4.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

overrepresentation = overrepresent (transparent) = over + represent + ation

Formed by adding the nominalizing suffix '-ation' to the verb 'overrepresent'; the meaning is directly the state or process of excessive representation.

Etymology

The word overrepresentation is made of over- meaning 'too much' and represent meaning 'to show or stand for', as in representative. So it means a group is 'shown' or included in numbers that are higher than is fair.