overwrought

/'ouvə'rɔ:t/

Thân thiện

She became overwrought after reading the sad letter.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • In a state of excessive nervous agitation or emotional excitement: Describes a person who is extremely upset, anxious, or tense, often to the point of being unable to think or act calmly.
   • Excessively elaborate or ornate: Describes something, like language or decoration, that is overly complicated or fussy in its design or execution.

Usage and Examples

• Describing a person's emotional state:
  • She became overwrought after hearing the terrible news.
  • The overwrought mother was frantically searching for her lost child.
• Describing something as excessively elaborate:
  • The speech was filled with overwrought prose that was difficult to follow.
  • Critics dismissed the film's overwrought visual style as distracting.

Advanced Usage

• "to be overwrought with [emotion]": to be intensely filled with a particular feeling.
  • He was overwrought with guilt over the accident.
• Used to describe a state beyond simple stress, implying a loss of composure or control due to overwhelming feelings.

Variants and Related Words

• Overwrought is the adjective form. There is no direct verb form "to overwrought"; the related verb is overwork.
• Overwork (verb/noun): to work too hard or too long; excessive work.
  • He was suffering from the effects of overwork.

Synonyms

• Agitated: feeling or appearing troubled or nervous.
• Distraught: deeply upset and agitated.
• Hysterical: deriving from or affected by uncontrolled extreme emotion.
• Frenzied: wildly excited or uncontrolled.
• Florid: excessively intricate or elaborate (for the stylistic sense).

Antonyms

• Calm: not showing or feeling nervousness, anger, or other strong emotions.
• Composed: having one's feelings and expression under control.
• Placid: not easily upset or excited.
• Simple: plain and uncomplicated in form or design.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To be beside oneself: to be in a state of extreme emotional agitation.
  • She was beside herself with worry, which is similar to being overwrought.
• To work oneself into a state/frenzy: to make oneself become extremely agitated.
  • He worked himself into a frenzy over the deadline, becoming completely overwrought.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. deeply agitated especially from emotion
   • distraught with grief

Từ đồng nghĩa

• distraught