overextrapolate

verb

over·​ex·​trap·​o·​late ˌō-vər-ik-ˈstra-pə-ˌlāt How to pronounce overextrapolate (audio)
overextrapolated; overextrapolating

transitive + intransitive

: to extrapolate to an excessive degree
Don't overextrapolate—do not try to write an entire paper based on a few findings that are not strongly related to your topic.Gail M. Staines et al.
I do not want to overextrapolate from these testimonials to suggest that this was a universal experience for all respondents.Oliver Wang
… many of its articles overextrapolate and overgeneralize preliminary research results.Kathleen Meister
overextrapolated adjective
overextrapolated research
overextrapolation noun
plural overextrapolations
… massive overextrapolation from a single data point … Jon Evans

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overextrapolate was in 1960

Dictionary Entries Near overextrapolate

Cite this Entry

“Overextrapolate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overextrapolate. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!