overreachers
Those exceeding their grasp
Overreachers are people who aim too high or grasp for more than they can handle.
The word carries a note of moral judgment—overreachers don't just fail, they invite failure through excessive ambition or hubris.
Literary villains and fallen politicians are classic overreachers: The company's founders were overreachers who expanded too fast and lost everything.
Excessive self-importance
- prideSatisfaction from one's achievements
- narcissismExcessive admiration of oneself
- egotismInflated sense of self-importance
- vanityExcessive pride in oneself
conceit · haughtiness · presumption · self-importance · boastfulness · pomposity · smugness · overconfidence
Sudden structural failure
- defeatVictory over another
- overextensionExceeding sustainable capacity
- oversteppingExceeding appropriate bounds
- backfireYield unintended consequences
blunder · miscalculation · downfall · debacle · fiasco · ruin · undoing · humiliation
Heedless or skin irritation
- recklessCarelessly ignoring danger
- foolhardyRecklessly bold
- impulsiveActing without deliberation
- carelessInattentive, prone to mistakes
incautious · unwise · shortsighted · heedless · irresponsible · hasty · precipitate · brash
Excessive desire for riches
- covetousEagerly wanting others' possessions
- rapaciousExcessively grasping or greedy
- insatiableImpossible to satisfy
- voraciousExtremely eager to consume
acquisitive · grasping · exploitative · predatory · monopolizing · encroaching · usurping · hoarding
Seeking to achieve
- drivenIntensely determined to achieve
- go-getterAmbitious, driven person
- determinedFirmly committed to purpose
- motivatedSpurred to action
high-flyer · up-and-comer · enterprising · visionary · bold · aggressive · eager · zealous
arrogance
Excessive self-importance
- prideSatisfaction from one's achievements
- narcissismExcessive admiration of oneself
- egotismInflated sense of self-importance
vanity · conceit · haughtiness · presumption · self-importance · boastfulness · pomposity · smugness · overconfidence · audacity
collapse
Sudden structural failure
- defeatVictory over another
- overextensionExceeding sustainable capacity
- oversteppingExceeding appropriate bounds
backfire · blunder · miscalculation · downfall · debacle · fiasco · ruin · undoing · humiliation · crash
rash
Heedless or skin irritation
careless · incautious · unwise · shortsighted · heedless · irresponsible · hasty · precipitate · brash · impetuous
avarice
Excessive desire for riches
- covetousEagerly wanting others' possessions
- rapaciousExcessively grasping or greedy
- insatiableImpossible to satisfy
voracious · acquisitive · grasping · exploitative · predatory · monopolizing · encroaching · usurping · hoarding · territorial
aspiring
Seeking to achieve
- drivenIntensely determined to achieve
- go-getterAmbitious, driven person
- determinedFirmly committed to purpose
motivated · high-flyer · up-and-comer · enterprising · visionary · bold · aggressive · eager · zealous · hungry
overreachersunderachievers
Those performing below capacity
minimalists · slackers · plodders · settlers · coasters