overpreach
Definition
- Verb (intransitive):
- To preach excessively: "overpreach" means to deliver a sermon or moral lecture too frequently, at excessive length, or with undue repetition.
Usage Examples
- (To deliver a sermon for too long.)
- (To lecture excessively on a moral topic.)
- (To preach with excessive frequency or intensity.)
Advanced Usage
- "to overpreach a point": to emphasize or repeat a moral or lesson so much that it becomes counterproductive.
- The teacher overpreached the importance of punctuality, making the students resentful. (Repeated the lesson too often, losing its effect.)
Variants and Related Words
Overpreacher (noun): one who overpreaches.
- He was dismissed as a tiresome overpreacher. (A person who preaches too much.)
Overpreaching (noun/adj): the act of preaching excessively; characterized by such preaching.
- His overpreaching style alienated the audience. (His excessive preaching style.)
Synonyms
- Harangue: to lecture or preach at length and with strong emotion.
- Sermonize: to deliver a tedious moral lecture.
- Moralize: to comment on issues from a moral standpoint, often excessively.
Related Idioms
Preach to the choir: to argue a point to those who already agree (often after overpreaching).
- After overpreaching about recycling, he realized he was preaching to the choir. (He was convincing only those already convinced.)
Hammer home: to emphasize repeatedly (similar to overpreaching).
- She hammered home the safety rules, but she risked overpreaching. (Repeated the point excessively.)