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

In a vacuum, the signing could seem a bit overzealous. —Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026

At the time, the tech industry was undergoing massive job cuts, a response to overzealous hiring during the pandemic. —Crystal Villarreal, USA Today, 1 Mar. 2026

Years of overzealous inversions had compressed his vertebrae, damaging his nerves so severely that risky, major surgery appeared to be the only solution. —Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 14 Feb. 2026

Texas might be expecting to make $100 million from 10 new suites inside Royal-Memorial Stadium next year, but an overzealous approach to this year’s floral financials might chew a chunk out of that windfall if Texas isn’t careful. —David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 11 Feb. 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