inordinately
Americanadverb
-
in a way or to a degree that goes beyond proper or reasonable limits; immoderately or excessively.
He was inordinately proud of his ability to read Latin.
If your teen is inordinately anxious about school and grades, this is the time to be watchful.
-
in a disordered or uncontrolled way.
All economists, I am advised, agree that the principle of competition operates inordinately in certain industries.
Etymology
Origin of inordinately
First recorded in 1425–75; inordinate ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
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.
Five of the company’s top executives concealed the inordinately large and risky trades from its board, according to a lawsuit filed last week by investors, suppliers and others with claims outstanding after Enviva’s 2024 bankruptcy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Mona Yacoubian, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Iran "is inordinately more complex than Venezuela," with more diffuse centers of power.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
Content creators dependent on the app for revenue told the BBC, if it shuts down in the US their lives would change inordinately without the platform.
From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2025
And “Schindler’s List,” it’s worth acknowledging, is inordinately at times almost indecently entertaining.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2023
Easton Michaels, who wrote six novels, was an inordinately private person as a general rule.
From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith
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.
