excessive
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word 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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Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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List 5
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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.
The ranchers said the park service saddled them with excessive rules and regulations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
“We are organizing the Division to be lean, flat and agile, reducing excessive bureaucratic oversight so that the Fraud Division’s career prosecutors…can focus on following the facts and charging violations of the law.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
They allege that multiple features were designed to keep minors hooked, particularly infinite scrolling, excessive notifications and "like" counts.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Westminster Council's draft policy, which is currently in the consultation stage, says pubs should "discourage excessive drunkenness".
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Billee’s one fault was his excessive good nature, while Joe was the very opposite, sour and introspective, with a perpetual snarl and a malignant eye.
From "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London
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.
