From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishoveremphasizeo‧ver‧em‧pha‧size (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).► see thesaurus at emphasize —overemphasis /-fəsɪs/ noun [singular] There has been an overemphasis on content rather than methodology.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
overemphasize• The importance of car safety cannot be overemphasized.• The importance of strict hygiene in the preparation of food cannot be overemphasized.• I think the book overemphasizes the importance of religion in the history of the US.• It is hard to overemphasize the importance of this point.• The report overemphasizes the role of the teacher. Children also learn from their parents and from each other. 