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 ( 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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"Too Young to Drive?" and "Rules of the Road"
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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.
Determining how much didactic information is insightful and sufficient, and how much constitutes excessive artsplaining, is a delicate, ongoing challenge for museums.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Scott, holding that a jury could reasonably find that the officers used excessive force.
From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026
Tenants who believe the figure is excessive can challenge the landlord at a first-tier tribunal, a type of civil court.
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026
Vance is expected to arrive in Pakistan on Monday evening for talks with Iran on Tuesday—although Iran was still threatening on Sunday that it wouldn’t attend talks, saying Washington’s demands remain excessive.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
It maintains cholesterol at its proper level in the blood plasma, and inactivates the male and female hormones when they reach excessive levels.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
