Adjective

overweight (comparative more overweight, superlative most overweight)

Positive overweight

Comparative more overweight

Superlative most overweight

1. (of a person) heavier than what is generally considered healthy for a given body type and height.
2. (transportation industry, of a vehicle) weighing more than what is allowed for safety or legal commerce
   • 1988, U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, Gearing Up for Safety: Motor Carrier Safety in a Competitive Environment, ISBN 1428922504, page 38,

     All States allow oversized vehicles if a special permit is obtained, although most States will grant overweight permits only for non-divisible loads.

   • 1993, Legacy in the Sand: Chemical Command in Operations Desert Shield & Desert Storm, ISBN 0788104756, page 74,

     He got as far as the first weigh station, where troopers found his truck to be overweight and threatened to pull him off the road.

   • 1998, Collision of Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District Train 102, ISBN 1428996532, page 48,

     Postaccident examination of the vehicle indicated, for example, that the driver had not adequately maintained his logbook and that his vehicle had been overweight for travel in Indiana.

Synonyms

• (of a person): clinically obese, fat, morbidly obese, obese, super obese
• Wikisaurus has an article on “fat” in the sense of “obese”.

Overweight is often used interchangeably with pre-obese and is generally defined as having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is a common condition, especially where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary. As much as 64% of the United States adult population is considered either overweight or obese, and this percentage has increased over the last four decades.

Excess weight has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults being either overweight or obese. Increases have been observed across all age groups.

A healthy body requires a minimum amount of fat for the proper functioning of the hormonal, reproductive, and immune systems, as thermal insulation, as shock absorption for sensitive areas, and as energy for future use. But the accumulation of too much storage fat can impair movement and flexibility, and can alter the appearance of the body.