oversharpadj.
/ˌəʊvəˈʃɑːp/, U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈʃɑrp/ Excessively sharp (in various senses).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > sourness or acidity > [adjective] > pungent
sharpc1000
hotc1175
poignantc1387
keen1398
angryc1400
eager?c1400
tartc1405
argutec1420
mordicative?a1425
mordificative?a1425
piperinea1425
pungitive?a1425
pikea1475
vehement1490
oversharpa1500
over-stronga1500
penetrating?1576
penetrative1578
quick1578
piercing1593
exalted1594
mordicant1603
acute1620
toothed1628
pungent1644
piquant1645
tartarous1655
mordacious1657
piperate1683
peppery1684
tartish1712
hyperoxide1816
snell1835
mordanta1845
shrill1864
piperitious1890
society > authority > strictness > [adjective] > severe or stern > excessively severe
overhardc1390
oversharpa1500
over-severe1586
the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > harshness or severity > [adjective] > excessively
overhardc1390
oversharpa1500
over-severe1586
over-harsha1633
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > [adjective] > too acute
over-witteda1667
superacute1678
too far north1748
oversharp1795
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > visibility > [adjective] > clearly visible > sharp or distinct > too sharp
oversharp1896
a1500 (c1477) T. Norton Ordinal of Alchemy (BL Add.) (1975) 2104 Abhomynable sowre, ouyrsharpe, to bitter.
1586 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. I. 534 I would not that fathers should be ouer-sharpe & hard to their children.
1684 W. Killigrew Pandora ii. 26 If you be over-sharp upon him, you may hinder the great work.
1795 W. Seward Anecd. III. 38 They..were not over-sharp in discovering the intrigues and artifices.
1886 M. Oliphant House divided against Itself xliv The changes in his state were watched by clear eyes, not made dim by tears or oversharp by anxiety.
1896 T. L. De Vinne in Moxon's Mech. Exerc.: Printing (new ed.) II. 404 The superior beauty of over-sharp hair-lines.
1907 Philos. Rev. 16 99 We may occasionally criticise the author for attempting to draw over-sharp distinctions, and for putting new facts in old terms.
1990 Hist. Jrnl. 33 73 Sometimes even he bites back an over-sharp comment because he knows ‘that the truth one tells to the great must never be offensive’.
Derivatives
ˌoverˈsharpness n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > [noun] > excessive
oversharpness1858
1858 W. Bagehot Coll. Wks. (1965) II. 84 ‘Over-sharpness’ in the student is the most unpromising symptom of the logical jurist.
1953 Jrnl. Educ. Soc. 27 39 Probably Connecticut people still think they are maligned for over-sharpness by the name ‘Nutmeg State’.
2001 Technol. Rev. (Nexis) 1 Sept. 19 The software gets rid of video's distracting scan lines, softens its oversharpness, and adds lighting effects and color correction.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.a1500