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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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 Chinese government last year clamped down on what it saw as excessive competition in the EV industry, fearful that a vicious price war was hurting suppliers and contributing to the deflationary mood.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
There should be no single, all-powerful character around which a democracy revolves, so it is considered unseemly to lavish excessive finery on the head of state.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
Somerset Council wrote to the regulator asking for changes and arguing the rules are excessive and no longer proportionate.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
And excessive volatility can scare off some investors.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
They were a bit excessive, she tells Gogol with a roll of her eyes, the type to lavish her with perfume and jewels.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
