Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for overcautious. Search instead for over-cautious.
Synonyms

overcautious

American  
[oh-ver-kaw-shuhs] / ˈoʊ vərˈkɔ ʃəs /

adjective

  1. excessively or unnecessarily cautious.

    Sometimes it doesn't pay to be overcautious in business.

Other Word Forms

  • overcautiously adverb
  • overcautiousness noun

Etymology

Origin of overcautious

First recorded in 1700–10; over- + cautious

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 collective impact of all of this neurotic, overcautious hand-wringing was to communicate indifference to the voters.

From Slate • Jan. 6, 2025

But Alan Rusbridger, who sits on Meta's Oversight Board, says the industry has been "overcautious" in its moderation.

From BBC • May 31, 2023

And because our bodies would much rather we be overcautious, our recollections of agony are often exaggerated.

From Washington Post • Apr. 30, 2022

Whether due to play-calling, pass rush, tight coverage or overcautious decisions by Cousins, their most obvious limitation was a dearth of deep completions to Jefferson, Thielen or K.J.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2021

Kendra should have been captured as well, except she had been so overcautious since arriving at Fablehaven that she was still apparently shielded by the full power of the treaty.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

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.