overprotective

American

[oh-ver-pruh-tek-tiv] / ˌoʊ vər prəˈtɛk tɪv /

adjective

unduly protective.

Other Word Forms

overprotectiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of overprotective

First recorded in 1925–30; over- + protective

Vocabulary lists containing overprotective

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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.

For many years American Jewish writing seemed to be all about sons—sons launched from Chicago, Brooklyn and the Bronx, sons of overprotective mothers, comics punning on “the son also rises.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

That can make people vulnerable, and it can also make well-intentioned children overprotective.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 1, 2025

Chloe Rist, Mason's sister, told the court how their family had been overprotective of him "because he was so vulnerable and harmless".

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2024

Joel is overprotective to the extent of control.

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2023

My mom always tells me not to leave Jeffrey up on the high stools without me standing right next to him, but she’s ridiculously overprotective.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023