overwrought

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌoʊvərˈrɔt/ UK /ˌəʊvəˈrɔːt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
in a state of nervous excitement or anxiety

She became overwrought after hearing the news.
2

adj
excessively elaborate or complicated

The novel's overwrought prose made it difficult to read.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · in a state of nervous... frantic tense anxiousjitterystressed

2 adj · excessively elaborate or... overdone excessive elaborate ornate showy

Opposites

calm composed relaxed restrained

Etymology

From Old English over- ('excessively') plus wrought (past participle of work); via Middle English overworken ('to work too much') and Early Modern English overwrought ('worked up; agitated') to modern English overwrought (excessively agitated or elaborate).

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# overwrought

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌoʊvərˈrɔt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌəʊvəˈrɔːt/

## Meanings
1. in a state of nervous excitement or anxiety
2. excessively elaborate or complicated

## Examples
- She became overwrought after hearing the news.
- The novel's overwrought prose made it difficult to read.

## Synonyms
- frantic
- tense
- anxious
- jittery
- stressed
- overdone
- excessive
- elaborate
- ornate
- showy

## Antonyms
- calm
- composed
- relaxed
- restrained

## Etymology
From Old English over- ('excessively') plus wrought (past participle of work); via Middle English overworken ('to work too much') and Early Modern English overwrought ('worked up; agitated') to modern English overwrought (excessively agitated or elaborate).

## AI Etymology
Overwrought comes from Old English over- ('excessively') plus wrought (past participle of work); via Middle English overworken ('to work too much') and Early Modern English overwrought ('worked up; agitated') to modern English overwrought (excessively agitated or elaborate). In current use it is an adjective meaning "in a state of nervous excitement or anxiety". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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