overspecify
/ˌoʊvɚˈspɛsɪˌfaɪ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
24
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
verb
To provide redundant or inconsistent information.
Example Sentences
- "The customer overspecified the requirements and now we're contractually required to build it this way. Does he think he's an engineer?"
- "Manufacturers of sponge-rubber products have noted a tendency for designers and other users to overspecify."
- "First, the study group discovered a tendency in the current system to overspecify a billet. For example, to write a billet for a laboratory technician, one could specify rate and rating, as an HM1, one could specify E-6 and NEC-8506, or one could specify both. Obviously, this sort of procedure creates distribution problems which could compound."
- "As usual the customer overspecified the requirements, it's like asking for a car that seats 20 and fits in a compact car's parking space."
- "Design your mobile water supply apparatus around the chassis that you intend to use. Don’t overspecify or underspecify the unit."
- "An overspecified truth table contains at least one decision that will never be executed because it is already specified in a previous decision..."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Old English ofer- Middle English over- English over- English specify English overspecify From over- + specify.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌoʊvɚˈspɛsɪˌfaɪ/