overzealous

adjective

over·​zeal·​ous ˌō-vər-ˈze-ləs 

: too zealous : having or showing too much zeal : excessively eager, enthusiastic, or fervent

overzealous parents

overzealous workers

… another version of the overzealous monitoring that has produced kids who leave for college without ever having crossed the street by themselves.

—Peggy Orenstein

The village saw the orders as unwarranted interference from an overzealous state bureaucracy and promptly appealed.

—Joe Treen and S. Avery Brown

overzealously adverb

… has been frequently accused by its critics of acting recklessly, overzealously, and even, at times, illegally.

—Steve Lustgarden

overzealousness noun

Jewell was annoyed that press descriptions of him always emphasized his "overzealousness"; he considers himself a man of details.

—Marie Brenner

Examples of overzealous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For those who've gotten overzealous with planting already, there are several ways to save those plants during as an imminent freeze approaches. —April 16, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026

Nicole Kidman as an overzealous wrestler turned no-nonsense lawyer. —Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026

One of our concerns at the Register is overzealous prosecutors. —John Seiler, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026

As someone who dealt with overzealous RAs, thank you for shining a light on their tyrannical ways. —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1628, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overzealous

• bellis
• felis
• fellas
• jealous
• pelisse
• trellis
• zealous
• michaelis
• nucellus
• ocellus