excessively

American

[ik-ses-iv-lee] / ɪkˈsɛs ɪv li /

adverb

in a way that goes beyond the usual, necessary, or proper limit or degree.

Applying an excessively thick layer of mulch limits oxygen in the soil and can suffocate the plants.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of excessively

excessive ( def. ) + -ly

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.

It must become a philosophy that corrodes collective faith, collective beliefs, and becomes excessively individualistic.

From Slate • May 16, 2026

Picture an excessively mobile middle-class family that does almost nothing but drive, traveling from New York City to Los Angeles and back again each week.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

Smucker’s SJM 0.14%increase; green up pointing triangle overpayment for Hostess Brands, based on excessively optimistic expectations for Twinkies, is a recent example of how that can go wrong.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

"Bones are overly smooth, spines unnaturally straight, lungs overly symmetrical, blood vessel patterns excessively uniform, and fractures appear unusually clean and consistent, often limited to one side of the bone."

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

Laika, who for whatever reasons had an excessively guilty conscience, immediately dropped the snake and curled up in her “please don’t kill me” pose.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023