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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List 5
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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.
The Seattle area has a child care crisis, weighing on families who often feel trapped between work or study requirements, scarce child care options and excessive rates — especially if they don’t qualify for subsidies.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2023
The first is that its monetary liabilities—that is, the monetary base—have grown at excessive rates.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 26, 2018
Recently, many physicians have sounded the alarm about what they see as excessive rates of CT scans, which would expose patients to unnecessary radiation and cancer risk.
From Reuters • Feb. 18, 2011
The corporation would in effect operate as a monopoly, but the public would be safeguarded against excessive rates by the Federal Communications Commission's rate-setting authority.
From Time Magazine Archive
Betweene the years 1626 and 1633, Indian Corne was usually sold at 10s or 12s the Bushell, now not esteemed worth 2s, Beefe and Porke then Brought from England and Irland sold at excessive rates.
From A briefe discription of New England and the severall townes therein together with the present government thereof by Maverick, Samuel
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.
