over·fo·cus
ˌō-vər-ˈfō-kəs 
overfocused; overfocusing
: to focus (something) or to become focused to an excessive degree: such as
a
intransitive
: to concentrate too much attention or effort
So, as the worrier overfocuses on all the ways that something could go wrong, worry ultimately heightens a sense of danger.—
Sheila Achar Josephs
Sheila Achar Josephs
b
transitive
: to adjust (a lens) past the point at which an image is perfectly focused
overfocused the camera lens
But the chameleon's cornea, Schaeffel discovered, overfocuses the image.—Discover
Discover
: an excessive or unnecessary degree of focus
Behavioral therapy can be very helpful … to control overfocus on work or social issues.—Wes Burgess
Wes BurgessOur overfocus on relationships leads us to demand too much of intimacy.—Geraldine K. Piorkowski
Geraldine K. PiorkowskiExamples of overfocus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Natalie Shure, The New Republic, 8 Dec. 2022
Pay more attention to averages; don’t overfocus on any individual survey.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2022
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Verb
In other words, stress could exacerbate FND, and someone with FND could overfocus on symptoms and essentially turn up their volume, requiring brain processing for actions that should be automatic.
—Natalie Shure, The New Republic, 8 Dec. 2022
Pay more attention to averages; don’t overfocus on any individual survey.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2022
Dictionary Entries Near overfocus
Cite this Entry
“Overfocus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overfocus. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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