verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1. 1
   To do an excessive amount in one area in an effort to overcome a perceived lack in another area. intransitive
2. 2
   make excessive corrections for fear of making an error wordnet
3. 3
   To provide with excessive pay or reward for work performed. transitive
4. 4
   make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

compensatecovercoverover correctover-correct

Etymology

From over- + compensate.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.