Inordinate attention

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "Inordinate attention" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe an excessive or disproportionate amount of focus or consideration given to something. Example: "The project received inordinate attention from the media, overshadowing other important issues."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

15 human-written examples

Teams concentrate inordinate attention on him.

The New York Times - Sports

Yet the health-care system, as I soon discovered, requires doctors to give inordinate attention to matters of payment and expenses.

The New Yorker

A scene in which Renato fails to finish making love to his wife is soon followed by one in which the actress pays inordinate attention to him.

The New York Times - Books

"We paid inordinate attention in the early days of New Labour to courting, assuaging, and persuading the media," Mr Blair said.

The Guardian

It would be hard to top that for star power, but I also recall a night in early 1999 at the Cort Theater, at 138 West 48th Street, where I had gone to see "The Blue Room," the David Hare play that got inordinate attention because Nicole Kidman was without clothes onstage for about one billionth of a second.

The New York Times

In keeping with today's appetites for tabloid allegations couched as valuable data, Mr. Clarke devotes inordinate attention to determining just how bisexual were many of the men in Garland's life, just how many married men or father figures she fooled around with, and just how foul she could be while wallowing in substance abuse.

The New York Times - Books

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

45 human-written examples

Given the inordinate media attention and recent flurry of legislative activity around MOOCs (massive open online courses), I wanted to clarify the position of Berkeley's Resource Center for Online Education BRCOEE) on the role of this new technology in our overall instructional system.

University of California, Berkeley

Inordinate research attention is being received towards synchrophasor measurements based backup protection methods for transmission lines.

Protection and Control of Modern Power Systems

We put an inordinate amount of attention and detail to the eyes to get them right.

The New York Times

An inordinate amount of attention goes into making the next step count.

The New York Times

Oddly, Rivera is one of the least likely athletes to call inordinate amounts of attention to himself.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "inordinate attention" when you want to criticize or point out that something is receiving more focus than it deserves, often at the expense of other matters.

Common error

Avoid using "inordinate attention" when you simply want to state that something is receiving a lot of attention. The word "inordinate" carries a negative connotation, suggesting excessiveness or imbalance. For neutral situations, consider alternatives like "significant attention" or "considerable focus".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "inordinate attention" functions primarily as a noun phrase, where "inordinate" modifies the noun "attention". It typically acts as the object of a verb or the subject of a clause, as evidenced by Ludwig's examples.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

55%

Science

20%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

5%

Academia

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "inordinate attention" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase that denotes an excessive or disproportionate focus on something. According to Ludwig, the phrase is correct and usable in written English. It is most commonly found in news and media contexts, and while versatile, its negative connotation should be carefully considered. When aiming for neutrality, alternatives like "significant attention" or "considerable focus" might be more fitting.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Excessive focus

Replaces "inordinate" with "excessive", emphasizing the surplus of attention.

Undue attention

Substitutes "inordinate" with "undue", highlighting that the attention is unwarranted or inappropriate.

Disproportionate focus

Replaces "attention" with "focus" and "inordinate" with "disproportionate", stressing the lack of balance.

Unwarranted emphasis

Shifts from "attention" to "emphasis", suggesting an unjustified level of importance is being placed.

Exaggerated concern

Changes the focus to "concern", implying an inflated level of worry or care.

Overblown importance

Highlights the inflated sense of importance attributed to something.

Excessive consideration

Focuses on the act of considering something, emphasizing its surplus.

Unreasonable priority

Indicates an unfair or unjustifiable ranking in importance.

Overemphasis

A single word capturing the concept of placing too much emphasis.

Too much importance

A more straightforward alternative that conveys the idea of an inflated assessment of something's importance.

FAQs

How to use "inordinate attention" in a sentence?

Use "inordinate attention" when you want to express that something is receiving a disproportionately large amount of focus, often suggesting that this attention is excessive or unwarranted. For example: "The media paid "inordinate attention" to the celebrity scandal, overshadowing more important news."

What can I say instead of "inordinate attention"?

You can use alternatives like "excessive focus", "undue attention", or "disproportionate focus" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "inordinate attention" or "ordinate attention"?

"Inordinate attention" is the correct phrase. "Inordinate" means excessive or disproportionate. "Ordinate" refers to a coordinate in a plane, so "ordinate attention" doesn't make sense in most contexts.

What's the difference between "inordinate attention" and "special attention"?

"Inordinate attention" suggests that something is receiving too much focus, often negatively. "Special attention" simply means that something is receiving extra care or focus, without necessarily implying it's excessive or inappropriate.