Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

overengineer

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: ov-erengi-neer
IPA

16

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To render something more complicated than necessary; often implying that the complexity was added intentionally.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"While PlayStation 3 surpasses both Wii and Xbox 360 in performance and graphics, the critics say it suffers from the same problem as many other Sony products: it is overengineered, scaring away average shoppers."
"Fortunately, the Victorians over-engineered their structures, as they didn't have the advantages we have now of a modern understanding of structural dynamics."

Etymology

From over- + engineer.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: over

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

overengineers (present, singular) overengineering (participle, present) overengineered (participle, past) overengineered (past)

Frequently Paired Words

overdesign

Questions

What does overengineer mean?: To render something more complicated than necessary; often implying that the complexity was added intentionally.
Where does overengineer come from?: From over- + engineer.

How to pronounce overengineer

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