overrated

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adjective

over·​rat·​ed ˌō-vər-ˈrā-təd How to pronounce overrated (audio)
Synonyms of overrated
: rated or valued too highly
an overrated book/movie/restaurant
The reign of James I is under scrutiny again. For too long this king has been the victim of literary pastiche, deployed as a foil to the fleeing glory of the overrated Elizabeth I.—J. A. Guy
… Garrick had arranged for a member of the audience (a fellow actor), dressed as a Frenchified fop, to complain—as connoisseurs of French literary taste had complained for generations—that Shakespeare was vulgar, provincial, and overrated.—Jonathan Bate

overrated

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past tense and past participle of overrate

Examples of overrated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Some—including Poe—thought Irving overrated, in the way that best-selling writers are always overrated. — Eric Lach, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026 David Ubben analyzed the poll and picked overrated and underrated teams. — Chris Branch, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 The most overrated nightlife order, in his opinion, is tequila with soda and lime. — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 Full moons are overrated and, frankly, a pain. — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for overrated

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1586, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overrated was in 1586

Rhymes for overrated

See All Rhymes for overrated

Browse Nearby Words

overrate
overrated
overreach
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Cite this Entry

“Overrated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overrated. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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