overreaction

English

Etymology

From over- +‎ reaction

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

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Noun

overreaction (countable and uncountable, plural overreactions)

1. A reaction that is excessive.
   • She had every right to dump you, but cutting up all your clothes after she did so was an overreaction.
   • This whole fear over swine flu was unfounded; it was clearly an overreaction.
   • 2012 December 14, Simon Jenkins, “We mustn't overreact to North Korea boys' toys”, in The Guardian Weekly‎^[1], volume 188, number 2, page 3:

     The threat of terrorism to the British lies in the overreaction to it of British governments. Each one in turn clicks up the ratchet of surveillance, intrusion and security. Each one diminishes liberty.

   • 2018, Yuval Noah Harari, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century:

     In most cases, this overreaction to terrorism poses a far greater threat to our security than the terrorists themselves.

Translations

reaction deemed excessive

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 反應過度／反应过度 (fǎnyìng guòdù), 反应过度 (fǎnyìng guòdù)

• Finnish: ylilyönti (fi)
• German: Überreaktion f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: overreaksjon m

  Nynorsk: overreaksjon m

• Russian: please add this translation if you can