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.
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Recent Examples of over-the-top
Jamaica's Carnival celebrations are some of the biggest and most boisterous in the Caribbean, complete with parades, parties, and over-the-top costumes made for getting down to calypso and soca music.
—
Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 3 June 2025
The production team augments the cast’s over-the-top performances with floor-to-ceiling tentacles (set designer Lindsay Mummert), bursts of green light from the heat rays (lighting designer Sarah Riffle) and warbling sound effects that evoke a 1950s sci-fi film (sound designer Joe Griffin).
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
While this over-the-top luxury can be dazzling, the most beautiful spots in Palm Beach are the side streets and alleyways off of Worth Avenue.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 31 May 2025
While the top-tier business class is offering higher tech and more high-touch service, the carriers don’t have the over-the-top amenities of international airlines.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for over-the-top
Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 3 June 2025
The production team augments the cast’s over-the-top performances with floor-to-ceiling tentacles (set designer Lindsay Mummert), bursts of green light from the heat rays (lighting designer Sarah Riffle) and warbling sound effects that evoke a 1950s sci-fi film (sound designer Joe Griffin).
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
While this over-the-top luxury can be dazzling, the most beautiful spots in Palm Beach are the side streets and alleyways off of Worth Avenue.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 31 May 2025
While the top-tier business class is offering higher tech and more high-touch service, the carriers don’t have the over-the-top amenities of international airlines.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for over-the-top
Recent Examples of Synonyms for over-the-top
Adjective
-
As a Millennial what’s your take on Gen Z’s excessive use of exclamation points?—
Frank DiGiacomo,
Billboard,
9 June 2025
-
Without legislative action this year to fix excessive insurance mandates, the entire peer-to-peer car sharing industry could disappear overnight.—
Al Sharpton,
New York Daily News,
8 June 2025
Adjective
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Amanda learned in like 10 seconds, which is insane.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
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The emu egg—a two pound, eight-inch ovoid with a sultry teal shell gently speckled in pale green—seemed like just the right absurdist final flourish for an already insane endeavor.—
Helen Rosner,
The New Yorker,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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An extravagant estate long owned by the late Orange County Air Force major general turned homebuilder and civic leader William Lyon has roared onto the market in Southern California.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
6 June 2025
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Nothing extravagant—just a modest suburban home and savings accumulated over a lifetime.—
Joseph Coughlin,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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As shocking and extreme as this season was, all paths led here.—
Jennifer Adams,
StyleCaster,
5 June 2025
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The suit cites the extreme conditions within the CECOT megaprison, known by its acronym in Spanish, where prisoners sleep in crowded cells with bunks three levels high and are not allowed to go outside or have visitors of any kind.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Over-the-top.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/over-the-top. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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