Meaning & use
overstimulated
Last updated
“overstimulated” is a form of “overstimulate”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Feeling overwhelmed by too much noise, activity, or excitement.
Grammar: Used after a linking verb: be/feel/get overstimulated. Not usually used before a noun in this sense.
Patterns
- feel overstimulated
- get overstimulated
- overstimulated by something
After a day at the crowded fair, the child was overstimulated and could not sleep.
Many people feel overstimulated in busy shopping centers.
The puppy gets overstimulated when too many people visit.
verbtransitive
Past tense and past participle of overstimulate: to make someone or something too active or excited.
Grammar: Takes an object: overstimulated the audience. The base form is overstimulate.
Patterns
- overstimulate someone
- overstimulate something
The loud music overstimulated the baby, and she started crying.
He overstimulated his nerves with too much coffee.
Word forms
| base form | overstimulate |
|---|---|
| third person singular | overstimulates |
| past tense | overstimulated |
| past participle | overstimulated |
| -ing form | overstimulating |
Common combinations
- feel overstimulated
- After the concert, I felt overstimulated and needed quiet.
- get overstimulated
- Children can get overstimulated at birthday parties.
- overstimulated by
- She was overstimulated by the flashing lights and loud noises.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overwhelmed
- Similar, but overwhelmed often suggests a stronger emotional burden, while overstimulated focuses on too much sensory input.
- hyper
- Informal and means very active or excited; overstimulated is more specific and often suggests distress.
Opposites
Word family
- overstimulation noun
- The state of being overstimulated; too much stimulation.
- overstimulate verb
- To make someone or something too active or excited.
Commonly confused: overstimulated or understimulated?
overstimulated vs understimulated
Understimulated means not having enough stimulation, the opposite of overstimulated.
Practice
Choose the correct word: After playing video games for five hours, he felt _____ and couldn't focus.
Choose one answer.
Overstimulated means overwhelmed by too much activity or excitement, which fits the context. Understimulated means not enough stimulation; overestimated means guessed too high; overstated means expressed too strongly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “overstimulated”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.