overcorrection

[ oh-ver-kuh-rek-shuh n ]
/ ˌoʊ vər kəˈrɛk ʃən /

noun

correction beyond what is needed or customary, especially when leading to error; overadjustment: The pilot made an overcorrection for headwinds.

Origin of overcorrection

First recorded in 1880–85; over- + correction

Example sentences from the Web for over-correction

  • It was perhaps due in part to over-correction, when the context was forgotten and the subject had lost its freshness.

    Alexander Pope |Leslie Stephen
  • Advancement of the tenotomized muscle should be performed if the over-correction be only discovered after the operation.

Medical definitions for over-correction

overcorrection
[ ō′vər-kə-rĕkshən ]

n.

An adjustment that surpasses a set criterion, especially of a desired behavior.