overdefine

English

Etymology

From over- +‎ define.

Verb

overdefine (third-person singular simple present overdefines, present participle overdefining, simple past and past participle overdefined)

1. (transitive) To define too rigidly, or in too much depth.
   • 2001, Charles Reid, Painting Flowers in Watercolor with Charles Reid:

     Most students want to overdefine every flower and leaf. In the assignment above, I spoke of “the essence of flowers.” If you overdefine and explain every petal, you will lose the sense of softness and mystery.

   • 2011, Walter N. King, Hamlet's Search for Meaning, page 133:

     The adolescent search for a new and a reliable identity can perhaps best be seen in the persistent endeavor to define, to overdefine, and to redefine oneself and each other in often ruthless comparison […]

Related terms

• overdefinition