overfocus

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verb

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

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

overfocus

2 of 2

noun

: an excessive or unnecessary degree of focus

Behavioral therapy can be very helpful … to control overfocus on work or social issues.

—Wes Burgess

Our overfocus on relationships leads us to demand too much of intimacy.

—Geraldine K. Piorkowski

Examples of overfocus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1881, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1906, in the meaning defined above