excessive
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- excessively adverb
- excessiveness noun
- nonexcessive adjective
- nonexcessiveness noun
- quasi-excessive adjective
- unexcessive adjective
Etymology
Origin of excessive
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English ( excess, -ive ); replacing Middle English excessif, from Middle French
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.
"They are often dealing with a double burden -- excessive sleepiness during work hours and difficulty sleeping enough when they have the chance to rest."
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
Nearly 7 in 10 respondents said they want state and local authorities to intervene when they witness unlawful detentions or excessive use of force by federal immigration agents.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
Will Self burst onto the literary scene in 1991 with a collection of inventive and excessive short stories that was titled “The Quantity Theory of Insanity.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
“While these are precisely the students who will now be protected from excessive federal loans they could not repay, further steps should be considered to facilitate their access to advanced degrees.”
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
And his heart lugged under the excessive load, the shock of recognition.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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.
