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Showing results for excessively. Search instead for excessive levels.
Synonyms

excessively

American  
[ik-ses-iv-lee] / ɪkˈsɛs ɪv li /

adverb

  1. in a way that goes beyond the usual, necessary, or proper limit or degree.

    Applying an excessively thick layer of mulch limits oxygen in the soil and can suffocate the plants.

Other Word Forms

  • nonexcessively adverb
  • quasi-excessively adverb
  • unexcessively adverb

Etymology

Origin of excessively

excessive ( def. ) + -ly

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.

Auditors that take an excessively light-touch approach can face SEC penalties.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Could Brooks really say Gabriel's actions definitely were excessively aggressive or violent?

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

"Bones are overly smooth, spines unnaturally straight, lungs overly symmetrical, blood vessel patterns excessively uniform, and fractures appear unusually clean and consistent, often limited to one side of the bone."

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

To describe the phenomenon, he used the slang word "glazing" -- to excessively praise something.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

As we neared Frances’s house in Portsmouth, Mommy began to get nervous and to talk excessively.

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride

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.