overzealous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of overzealous
Explanation
Overzealous describes someone who gets too excited about something, like your mom, the overzealous collector of cute kitten figurines that now fill every table and shelf in the house. If you're overzealous about something, you've gone too far, and you're probably starting to scare people. Parents who are overzealous about keeping their kids safe may not allow them out of the house — ever. If you are overzealous about conserving water, you might shower a little too infrequently, or scold people for washing their cars. Most people understand that you mean well, and that's why you are so intense.
Vocabulary lists containing overzealous
The Book Thief
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This Week in Pop Culture: January 26 - February 1, 2019
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100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Overzealous security guards, higher prices and overcrowding at parties also alienated longtime fans.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
Overzealous measuring, Vincent writes, can result in tools “by which control is exercised not just in the workplace, but in institutions like prisons, armies, and schools.”
From Washington Post • Nov. 30, 2022
Overzealous regional officials — eager to impress their national superiors, or afraid of disappointing them — had teamed up with private energy companies to convert more homes than supply could meet.
From New York Times • Feb. 10, 2018
Overzealous corporate flacks misled reporters about what was happening and allowed the Internet wildfire to spread.
From Slate • May 12, 2011
Overzealous culturists usually like to turn things around, but revolving cliffs are not in the natural order of things.
From The Fern Lover's Companion A Guide for the Northeastern States and Canada by Tilton, George Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
