overwrought
overwrought Lexical Profile
overwrought Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
In a state of extreme nervous excitement, agitation, or emotional distress.
"By the end of the grueling trial, the witnesses were visibly exhausted and overwrought."
Elaborated or decorated to an excessive degree, especially of a piece of writing, artwork, or architecture.
"Critics felt that the novel's overwrought prose distracted from an otherwise compelling story."
Word Nuance & Usage
Because 'wrought' is the archaic past participle of 'work' (not 'write'), 'overwrought' literally means 'overworked'—either emotionally agitated from stress or excessively elaborated in design.
• Rhymes for overwrought
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Middle English from the prefix 'over-' and 'wrought', the archaic past participle of 'work' (from Old English 'geondworht' or 'worht'), originally meaning exhausted by excessive labor.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.