overprotective
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of overprotective
First recorded in 1925–30; over- + protective
Vocabulary lists containing overprotective
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.
A brash and confident young earthbending prodigy, Toph moonlights as a champion fighter called the Blind Bandit, unbeknownst to her overprotective upper-class parents who think their little girl is helpless.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
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
"Most of all, Matthew was an amazing dad. He loved his children and was always loving, caring and overprotective," they added.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2025
Siobhan didn’t like how overprotective her father was, but they did agree on one thing—she had no time for boys.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
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.
