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
The spa Faena's 22,000-square-foot Tierra Santa Healing House is home to all sorts of over-the-top amenities, including one of the largest hammams this side of the Mississippi and a marble Ice Parlor, which uses the power of ice and air to strengthen your immune system.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
Quentin Tarantino’s outrageous revisionist Western is wildly over-the-top, combining the director’s penchant for gratuitous violence and sparkling dialogue with a story that’s pleasingly labyrinthine but nothing if not schlocky.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
This was an era of over-the-top displays of patriotism and even jingoism; the phrase Let’s make America great again was in.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
One of the country’s largest teachers’ unions, the United Teachers Los Angeles, is threatening to strike next week if its latest over-the-top salary and staffing demands aren’t met.
—Aaron Garth Smith, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for over-the-top
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
Quentin Tarantino’s outrageous revisionist Western is wildly over-the-top, combining the director’s penchant for gratuitous violence and sparkling dialogue with a story that’s pleasingly labyrinthine but nothing if not schlocky.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
This was an era of over-the-top displays of patriotism and even jingoism; the phrase Let’s make America great again was in.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
One of the country’s largest teachers’ unions, the United Teachers Los Angeles, is threatening to strike next week if its latest over-the-top salary and staffing demands aren’t met.
—Aaron Garth Smith, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for over-the-top
Recent Examples of Synonyms for over-the-top
Adjective
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Gubin said those weren’t excessive returns.—
Jordan Rau,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
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May cause excessive bleeding (hemorrhage) if taken with blood thinners or supplements including ginkgo biloba or garlic.—
Megan Nunn,
Verywell Health,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Director Matt Pfeiffer tries not to tie it too strongly to an extreme light or dark mood but does keep up a snappy pace, plays most of the angriest outbursts for laughs and takes good advantage of the openness of the Playhouse on Park stage area.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
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While one extreme event is difficult to link directly to climate change, more frequent and intense extreme weather patterns fall within the scientific consensus on changing climate trends.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Money that was supposed to be divided among neighborhood charities was instead used to renovate a lakefront property in New Jersey, buy concert tickets, pay for his fancy car, and finance extravagant meals and luxury vacations in Hawaii and Las Vegas, according to an indictment.—
Larry Neumeister,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
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The Kardashians star shared some images from her daughter's extravagant party on her Instagram Story.—
Jen Juneau,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Categorizing the plunge pool as TIO for something like a charity scramble or regular public play would be one thing, but to do so in a major championship with a purse of $9 million seems fundamentally wrong and also insane.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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The reception to your performance in the Rusical was insane.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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After him, though, there’s an unusually steep drop to the next tier of running-back options, a glut that stretches anywhere from the back of the first round to the back of Day 3.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
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That drop is steepest for production and nonsupervisory employees in the sector.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Things came to a head in 2014 when Pethő broke a story about the lavish expenses of a minister in Orbán’s government.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
19 Apr. 2026
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Crundwell used the money to finance her quarter horse business and lavish lifestyle, according to the FBI.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Over-the-top.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/over-the-top. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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