excessive
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word 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.
Meanwhile, for those who like their coffee with sugar, excessive rainfall could hurt Brazil’s sugarcane harvest season, while India’s major sugarcane-growing states could experience drought, said Roemer.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
Although viruses depend entirely on the cells they infect to supply energy and manufacture proteins, producing excessive amounts of viral RNA can damage the very machinery they need to reproduce.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
El Niño could bring higher temperatures and reduced rainfall in some parts of Brazil, but excessive rainfall and flooding to other areas.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
Is it excessive to want to live in peace?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
I slammed the door behind me with excessive force.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
