Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

overemphasize

 verb
     
o‧ver‧em‧pha‧size also overemphasise British English [transitive]
to give something more importance than it deserves or than is suitable:
In the past the exam had been overemphasized.
The importance of adequate preparation cannot be overemphasized (=used to say that something is very important).
—overemphasis noun [singular]
There has been an overemphasis on content rather than methodology.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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