as in too
beyond a normal or acceptable limit
there's no need to be overly careful about the rough draft, since we'll polish it afterwards
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overly
In fact, anything that's overly personalized or draws too much attention to itself can be a potential turn-off.
—
Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Apr. 2026
Derek Muller, an election law expert, suggests that scenario is little more than a fever dream of doomsday devotees and overly nervous Nellies.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Bananas are one of those fruits that can go from perfectly ripe to overly browned in no time.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2026
Lomu hardly fits the profile of lineman prospects drafted under Vrabel, a player who is not considered overly aggressive and does not play with an edge.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overly
Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Apr. 2026
Derek Muller, an election law expert, suggests that scenario is little more than a fever dream of doomsday devotees and overly nervous Nellies.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Bananas are one of those fruits that can go from perfectly ripe to overly browned in no time.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2026
Lomu hardly fits the profile of lineman prospects drafted under Vrabel, a player who is not considered overly aggressive and does not play with an edge.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overly
Adverb
-
Kinahan’s caution came too late.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Section Two of the 1965 Voting Rights Act aimed to prevent mapmakers from weakening the voting power of racial minorities by either packing them into one district or spreading them out across too many districts to have an impact.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
While there is a respectable moral case to be made for some form of reparations, Tubbs appears to be excessively fixated on policy ideas that would bankrupt our state if actually implemented.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Winkler plays the town’s mayor, an excessively charming, morally questionable fellow who scrambles the town’s cops and residents to keep Ulysses from fouling everything up.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
When one of us is unduly harmed, we are all inevitably diminished.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
-
This is not to say that the artist herself, and her band, were as quiet as church mice, or that there was anything unduly precious about the performance.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
6 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
These special releases can be extremely valuable, especially if only a small batch is issued.—
Nina Derwin,
Martha Stewart,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The innermost region of any solar system, closest to the parent star, will be extremely hot and subject to large amounts of radiation.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overly. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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