too much of a good thing

Idioms  

1. Too large an amount of a beneficial or useful thing or activity can be harmful or excessive. For example, The indoor decorations are fine but the outdoor Santa, sled, reindeer, gnomes—it's just too much of a good thing. Expressed in slightly different form even earlier, Shakespeare used this precise wording in praise of moderation in As You Like It (4:1): “Can one desire too much of a good thing?”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

too much of a good thing

Even with the divine Oscar, you can have too much of a good thing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

When it comes to earnings growth rates, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

To be sure, investors might be worrying about too much of a good thing.

From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026

"The OBR has brought discipline and transparency to the fiscal policymaking process, but it is possible to have too much of a good thing," he claimed.

From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2025

Apparently too much of a good thing could kill you, like the old song said.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Related Words

• exuberance
• glut
• overkill
• surplus
• waste