diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index cb06e5f..680d1f3 100755
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,9 +1,16 @@
 DESTDIR   ?=
 PREFIX    ?= /usr/local
 MANPREFIX ?= $(PREFIX)/man
+
+# Optional, thus no override.
+
 CFLAGS += -Wall -Wextra
-CFLAGS += `pkg-config --cflags ncursesw`
-LDLIBS += `pkg-config --libs ncursesw` -lm
+
+# The following variables are overridden because the ncursesw flags are
+# required for a successful build.
+
+override CFLAGS += $(shell pkg-config --cflags ncursesw)
+override LDLIBS += $(shell pkg-config --libs ncursesw) -lm
 
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