overbearing
Americanadjective
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domineering; dictatorial; haughtily or rudely arrogant.
-
of overwhelming or critical importance.
adjective
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domineering or dictatorial in manner or action
-
of particular or overriding importance or significance
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of overbearing
Explanation
Overbearing means domineering. You might find it difficult to play the piano as your overbearing instructor criticizes every key you touch. The adjective overbearing typically describes a person who is haughty and dictatorial. Someone considered to be overbearing or arrogant wouldn't be described as kind or modest, which are antonyms of overbearing. Overbearing also means “repressing or overwhelming.” Thomas Jefferson uses this definition in his decree, “If the freedom of religion, guaranteed to us by law in theory, can ever rise in practice under the overbearing inquisition of public opinion, then and only then will truth, prevail over fanaticism.”
Vocabulary lists containing overbearing
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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The Federalist Papers, No. 10 by James Madison
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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.
Some of the people who get in trouble with the law have incredibly controlling mothers, she said, leading her to a theory that wildly overbearing parenting could even play a role in delinquent behavior.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
Before Rowan knows it, Mag has moved in and made herself comfortable, but already seems a bit overbearing, organizing girls’ nights and declaring herself “Mag the hag.”
From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026
The sparks between them are obvious, and Appa, the soul of indiscretion, can’t help meddling in his overbearing way.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
Compared to the overbearing shelter system, which broke up friends, mandated sobriety, lacked privacy, prohibited pets, and offered insufficient storage, Gil wanted to have a light touch.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
Yossarian was stunned by their overbearing vigor and zeal, by their practical, direct efficiency.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
