overworked en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Old English ofer- Middle English over- English over- English worked English overworked From over- + worked.
Meanings
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Subjected to too much work.
The truth is that we are too overworked, under capitalism, to be deeply, collectively horny, too overworked even to realise that this is the case.
2020, Sophie Lewis, “Collective Turn-off”, in Mal:Overworked and underpaid? Then quit your job and become a pro darts player.
Miss Suu Kyi’s overworked advisers[…]argue that people have to be realistic about what can be achieved in a short time and on a slender budget.
2013 October 19, “Preparing for success”, in The Economist, volume 409, number 8858:
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(figuratively, of a word, phrase, usually) Having been overused such that it has lost its meaning; trite; banal.
Dare I say “Let it go” without images of an animated princess flashing before your eyes? If it was an overworked phrase before Frozen, it’s now hard to use the expression without a shudder.
2015 January 18, Mariella Frostrup, “I don’t know how to move on from my first boyfriend”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:[Tim Garton Ash] is what you might call—overworked phrase—a public intellectual.
2009 July 23, Michael White, “Don't let Anthony Blunt fool us again”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:overworked, unaffecting cliches
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most overworked | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more overworked | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Synonyms
played out · hoary · trite · overdone · overdone · hackneyed · corny · dog-eared · shopworn · well-worn · overused · overworked · pat · stock · clichéd · tired · commonplace · bromidic · stale · threadbare · warmed-over · cheesy · timeworn · overused · banal · bathetic · clichéd
Translations (12)
ru переработавший (subjected to too much work) · sv överansträngd (subjected to too much work) · nl overwerkt (subjected to too much work) · fr débordé (subjected to too much work) · nl overbelast (subjected to too much work) · fi ylityöllistetty (subjected to too much work) · de überarbeitet (subjected to too much work) · sv utarbetad (subjected to too much work) · pl przepracowany (subjected to too much work) · fr surmené (subjected to too much work) · cs přepracovaný (subjected to too much work) · ru заработавшийся (subjected to too much work)