Word: overwrought (adjective)

Associations

"Overwrought" means very upset, nervous, or emotional, sometimes too much or too extreme.

• She was overwrought after hearing the bad news. (She was very upset.)
• The movie’s ending left the audience feeling overwrought. (The emotions were strong and intense.)
• His overwrought speech made everyone cry. (The speech was full of strong feelings.) A similar word is "overemotional," but "overwrought" often suggests being so emotional that it feels almost too much or out of control.

Substitution

You can use:

• upset (less strong, more general)
• distressed (focused on feeling worried or troubled)
• agitated (more about being nervous or restless)
• overwrought is stronger and often means emotions are very intense or excessive.

Deconstruction

"Over-" means too much or excessively. "Wrought" comes from old English meaning worked or made. So "overwrought" literally means "worked too much," like emotions worked too much inside a person.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you felt overwrought? What happened?
• How is "overwrought" different from just feeling sad or angry?
• Would you say someone who is calm can be overwrought? Why or why not?