over-the-top

adjective

Definition of over-the-topnext
as in excessive
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount The writing was great, but some of the acting was over-the-top.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of over-the-top Two years ago, Puma launched an experimental super shoe that intentionally flouted race regulations with a massive stack height and an over-the-top propulsion system. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026 Everything here is over-the-top, including the bathtub, which was carved and craned in from a single piece of marble. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026 There are so many over-the-top displays across the borough that locals formed a group called Staten Island Haunted Houses to pin them on a custom Google map. — Fiorella Valdesolo, Curbed, 21 Oct. 2026 More than a decade after Victorious wrapped on Nickelodeon, Monet reprises her role as the over-the-top performer on Netflix’s new spinoff series, Hollywood Arts. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for over-the-top
Recent Examples of Synonyms for over-the-top
  1. excessive
  2. extreme
  3. extravagant
  4. insane
  5. steep
  6. lavish
Adjective
  • The lack of transparency in the incentives’ application process, alongside excessive bureaucracy and uncertainty, remain issues, although Japanese industry folk have similar complaints about applying for export support.
    — Gavin J Blair, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The Wolf of Wall Street, the Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie movie about Belfort’s wild and excessive life as a New York stockbroker and boiler room boss, was released through Paramount Pictures.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of excessive
Adjective
  • Many of these materials are made from oil, which emits pollutants when burned, driving climate change and fueling extreme weather.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The flooding comes after extreme weather hit the Southwest throughout the week.
    — Ava Berger, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of extreme
Adjective
  • Prosecutors said Sherman, from September 2015 through May 2025, stole nearly $18 million from her employer to pay off her extravagant credit card expenses.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Our children were far too excited to sleep, so joined us for extravagant hot chocolates instead.
    — Fergus Scholes, TheWeek, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of extravagant
Adjective
  • Cohen and Harwood grew up in Maryland, studying Top 40 hits and FL Studio tutorials; in some ways, this fun, formalist record—impeccable songcraft, insane sprezzatura—plays like a tribute to those days.
    — Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Many have told me that Veronica Beard has copied more small brands, this is insane.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of insane
Adjective
  • But only a handful of souls have ever gone up the treacherous, unforgiving north face — 9,000 steep miles of snow, rock and ice with a gnarly gully given the forbidding name the Hornbein Couloir.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Wall Street suffered a steep day of losses Friday after the latest tech earnings reignited concerns that massive spending on AI may not deliver the returns that investors expect.
    — Lucy Bayly, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of steep
Adjective
  • Crime, courts and policing A Glendale Botox doctor used $45 million in Medicare money to fund her lavish lifestyle, feds say.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
  • But in the late 1800s, the city’s draw was healing mineral springs, not IPAs, which is why George Vanderbilt built his lavish 250-room French Renaissance chateau here.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of lavish

Browse Nearby Words

over the moon
over-the-top
overthrew
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Over-the-top.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/over-the-top. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All