o ‧ ver ‧ em ‧ pha ‧ size BrE AmE ( also overemphasise British English ) /ˌəʊvərˈemfəsaɪz $ ˌoʊ-/ verb [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 /-fəsəs, -fəsɪs/ noun [singular] :
There has been an overemphasis on content rather than methodology.