overzealous

adjective

over·​zeal·​ous ˌō-vər-ˈze-ləs 

: too zealous : having or showing too much zeal : excessively eager, enthusiastic, or fervent

overzealous parents

overzealous workers

… another version of the overzealous monitoring that has produced kids who leave for college without ever having crossed the street by themselves.

—Peggy Orenstein

The village saw the orders as unwarranted interference from an overzealous state bureaucracy and promptly appealed.

—Joe Treen and S. Avery Brown

overzealously adverb

… has been frequently accused by its critics of acting recklessly, overzealously, and even, at times, illegally.

—Steve Lustgarden

overzealousness noun

Jewell was annoyed that press descriptions of him always emphasized his "overzealousness"; he considers himself a man of details.

—Marie Brenner

Examples of overzealous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Both Mick Jagger and Harry Styles possess a certain swagger, and while the Rolling Stones singer is old enough to be the One Direction heartthrob's granddad, in the past their similar good looks have had some overzealous bloggers suggesting the boy bander could play Jagger in a biopic. —Laura Lane, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026

But DeValkenaere’s case has also been a cause célèbre of sorts in Republican circles and served as a symbol of a cop targeted by an overzealous prosecutor. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2026

Furthermore, misplaced or overzealous inflammation causes collateral damage to healthy tissues, potentially leading to chronic dysfunction. —Phil Starks, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026

For those who've gotten overzealous with planting already, there are several ways to save those plants during as an imminent freeze approaches. —April 16, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1628, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overzealous

• bellis
• felis
• fellas
• jealous
• pelisse
• trellis
• zealous
• michaelis
• nucellus
• ocellus