overzealous

[ oh-ver-zel-uh s ]

/ ˈoʊ vərˈzɛl əs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR overzealous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

too zealous: overzealous for reform.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

overwork, overworked, overworn, overwrite, overwrought, overzealous, oveta, ovett, ovi-, ovicidal, ovicide

Origin of overzealous

First recorded in 1625–35; over- + zealous

Related forms

o·ver·zeal·ous·ly, adverbo·ver·zeal·ous·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for overzealous

And an overzealous medical professional, hoping to safeguard against malpractice, can also be a cause of unneeded procedure.
Are Routine Scans Causing Cancer?|Dale Eisinger|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What you least desire can happen, particularly when the passion of a goal results in overzealous actions.
Presidents Never Can Seem to Learn to Stop Overreaching|Stuart Stevens|November 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Both McCauley and the glowing plant team worry that overzealous regulation could kill the nascent DIY Bio movement.
Plants That Glow in the Dark Spark Heated Debate|Josh Dzieza|August 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
An overzealous (and yes, probably liberal) IRS lawyer overreacted to this flood of applications.
More Details on IRS Approvals|Michael Tomasky|June 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST

He was viewed as an overzealous evangelical Christian who at least was tough on crime, and kept the guerrillas in check.
Trial of an American Ally: Ghosts of Foreign Policy Past in Guatemala|Constantino Diaz-Duran|March 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The proceeding was promptly disavowed and the overzealous official recalled.
A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents|Grover Cleveland
Such are the facts which overzealous persons have magnified into permanent scenes.
Catholic World, Vol. XIII, April to September, 1871|Various
Overzealous culturists usually like to turn things around, but revolving cliffs are not in the natural order of things.
The Fern Lover's Companion|George Henry Tilton
What else can Simon think but that his friend was killed by some overzealous protector of mine?
The Saracen: Land of the Infidel|Robert Shea
Overzealous would-be almoners of desired bounties press special claims with deferential yet impertinent persistence.
Oswald Langdon|Carson Jay Lee

British Dictionary definitions for overzealous

overzealous

/ (ˌəʊvəˈzɛləs) /

adjective

excessively zealous

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012