overzealous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of overzealous
Explanation
Overzealous describes someone who gets too excited about something, like your mom, the overzealous collector of cute kitten figurines that now fill every table and shelf in the house. If you're overzealous about something, you've gone too far, and you're probably starting to scare people. Parents who are overzealous about keeping their kids safe may not allow them out of the house — ever. If you are overzealous about conserving water, you might shower a little too infrequently, or scold people for washing their cars. Most people understand that you mean well, and that's why you are so intense.
Vocabulary lists containing overzealous
The Book Thief
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This Week in Pop Culture: January 26 - February 1, 2019
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100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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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.
They’re overzealous because the law is very clear that oversight of these markets is the exclusive province of the federal government.
From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026
The last feature Gyllenhaal appeared in as an actor was 2018’s “The Kindergarten Teacher,” playing an overzealous mentor to a young poetry prodigy.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026
And we can thank the overzealous adoption of A.I. for that.
From Slate • Oct. 17, 2025
At the height of the #MeToo movement, some in France denounced the collective reckoning over sexual harassment as “puritanism,” arguing that overzealous misconduct allegations risked undermining sexual freedom.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 5, 2025
Whenever an overzealous policeman arrested him despite the note, the principal had to personally call the police station and vouch that he was indeed a student.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
