overthink

English

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

From Middle English *overthenken, *overthenchen (compare Middle English overthinken (“to grieve; have regrets; be sorry; be anxious”)), from Old English oferþenċan (“to think over; consider”), equivalent to over- +‎ think.

Verb

overthink (third-person singular simple present overthinks, present participle overthinking, simple past and past participle overthought)

1. (archaic) To think about; think over
   • 1695, J.D. Albany, The Banishment of poverty:

     But when I dred that wou'd not work,
     I overthought me of a Wile
     How I might at my leisure lurk,
     My graceless Guardain to beguile.

Etymology 2

From over- +‎ think.

Verb

overthink (third-person singular simple present overthinks, present participle overthinking, simple past and past participle overthought)

1. To think or analyze too much.

   Don't overthink the problem. It's not that difficult.

2. (rare) To think too highly (of); overestimate
   • 1859, Henry Ward Beecher, Sermons, page 25:

     So to think of self as not to overthink — to think of yourself with sober, moral judgment.

Antonyms

• underthink

Translations

to think or analyze too much

• French: surpenser, surréfléchir
• German: zerdenken (de)
• Greek: πολυσκέφτομαι (polyskéftomai)
• Hungarian: túlagyal (slang), túl sokat gondolkodik/agyal/filozofál

to think (sth) over

• German: abwägen (de), überdenken (de), überlegen (de)

Anagrams

• think over