excessive
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of excessive
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English ( see excess, -ive); replacing Middle English excessif, from Middle French
Explanation
Excessive means beyond what is typical or normal. When something is excessive, there's way too much. Excessive refers to something that is extra — usually in a negative way. A 90-second drum solo in a two-minute song is excessive. Getting down on your knees and kissing someone's feet to thank them for a favor is excessive, unless they gave you their firstborn. Often this means something that exceeds the bounds of good taste, or is extravagant and inappropriately expensive. You should dress up for dinner, but wearing a ball gown to a diner is excessive.
Vocabulary lists containing excessive
The Bill of Rights
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Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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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.
And excessive volatility can scare off some investors.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
“High P/E stocks led low P/E stocks by a wide margin, a sign of excessive speculation,” they said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
Researchers have become increasingly interested in whether the drug could help a broader range of kidney disease patients because excessive activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor contributes to inflammation and scarring in many kidney disorders.
From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026
Three Appeal Court judges rejected David Elias KC's submissions that the sentence was "manifestly excessive".
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
Enquiries based on this premise are bound to conclude that the claims made on behalf of well-founded beliefs are excessive because that conclusion is built into the methodology.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
