What does overrate mean?
Overrate means to judge something more highly than it deserves, either by assigning it too much value or importance or by praising it excessively. For example, a critic might say that a widely admired novel has been overrated if its reputation is greater than its artistic achievement warrants. The word is especially common in discussions of culture, business, education, and public reputation, where inflated estimates can affect investment, attention, or opportunity. Its related adjective, overrated, is especially frequent: something described as overrated is believed to be more valuable, talented, or influential than it actually is. Although overrate can sometimes suggest deliberate exaggeration, it often simply identifies a mistaken judgment or excessive praise. The opposite is underrate, meaning to assess something too low.
verbTo estimate or regard something as being greater in value, quality, or importance than it really is. It can also mean to praise or appraise excessively.
- To estimate or regard something as being greater in value, quality, or importance than it truly is.
- To praise or appraise excessively.
"Critics tended to overrate the film’s originality despite its familiar plot."
"The market may be overrating the company’s prospects."
"Many readers overrate the importance of a single statistic."
To overrate a thing is not merely to like it too much; it is to mistake its worth for something greater than it really is.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does overrate come from?
Overrate was formed by combining the prefix over- with the verb rate. The word rate has its own history in English, ultimately deriving from Latin through Old French and Medieval Latin, and is connected with a family of words such as ratio, ration, ratify, and rational. Overrate developed in English as a verb meaning to appraise or estimate beyond the proper value.
Related word forms
How overrate is actually used
The word is relatively formal but common in journalism, criticism, and business. It is often used with an object such as a person, achievement, risk, or value.
Easily confused with overrate
Overrating means judging something as too valuable or important, whereas overstating means describing it in exaggerated or misleading terms.