overzealous

[ oh-ver-zel-uh s ]

/ ˈoʊ vərˈzɛl əs /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR overzealous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

too zealous: overzealous for reform.

Words nearby overzealous

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

Origin of overzealous

First recorded in 1625–35; over- + zealous

OTHER WORDS FROM overzealous

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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

overzealous

adjective

Words related to overzealous

Words nearby overzealous

Origin of overzealous

OTHER WORDS FROM overzealous

Examples from the Web for overzealous

British Dictionary definitions for overzealous

adjective