overcompensate: Meaning and Definition of

o•ver•com•pen•sate

Pronunciation: (ō"vur-kom'pun-sāt"), [key]
— v., -sat•ed, -sat•ing.
—v.t.
  1. to compensate or reward excessively; overpay: Some stockholders feel the executives are being overcompensated and that bonuses should be reduced.
—v.i.
  1. to exhibit psychological overcompensation; strive to overcome a sense of inferiority through overt, opposite behavior: The aggressive patient may be overcompensating, and be a profoundly shy person beneath the façade.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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