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.
And excessive volatility can scare off some investors.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Measures have been imposed by the regulators to try and curb excessive volatility, and they were triggered both on the way down Monday and then again on the way back up again Tuesday.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
The government’s campaign against excessive price competition helped stabilize promotions and reduced incentives for consumers to delay purchases in anticipation of deeper discounts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Supplements may be useful when dietary intake is insufficient or osteoporosis is present, but excessive intake should be avoided.
From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2026
Once she saw him cure a dog of excessive howling by pulling a single badly rotted tooth.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
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.
