overreactionn.
/ˌəʊvərɪˈakʃn/, U.S. /ˈˌoʊvə(r)riˈækʃ(ə)n/ (An) excessive reaction; an excessively emotional or vehement response; a response of greater force than is necessary or justifiable.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > [noun] > reaction > excessive
overreaction1862
1862 Replies to ‘Essays & Reviews’ 330 The over reaction of a very reasonable disgust against the theological excesses of predestinarian controversy.
1921 Proc. Royal Soc. 92 188 Disintegration with release of function and not ‘irritation’ is the cause of thalamic over-reaction.
1967 C. Cockburn I, Claud xxxiv. 424 This ‘over-reaction’ to what were..reasonable queries and doubts, was psychologically very revealing.
1973 Times 16 Nov. 7/2 A number of Government members believed that the espionage charges levelled against the editors constituted an over-reaction to the articles published in the magazine.
1991 A. M. Dershowitz Chutzpah vii. 245 As Israel has begun to lose the moral high ground in regard to certain specific policies—for example, its overreactions to the Intifada—it has lost support among American Jews.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1862