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Showing results for excessively.
Synonyms

excessively

American  
[ik-ses-iv-lee] / ɪkˈsɛs ɪv li /

adverb

  1. 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

  • nonexcessively adverb
  • quasi-excessively adverb
  • unexcessively adverb

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.

On Sunday, it was the assistant referee who said the incident was "not excessively aggressive or violent".

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

Each target was legally viable, officials said, because it had a clear connection to Iran’s military and security forces and wouldn’t harm the civilian population excessively.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 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

To describe the phenomenon, he used the slang word "glazing" -- to excessively praise something.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

It was just a museum display, albeit an excessively morbid one.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

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.