OVERANXIOUS Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

overanxious

adjective

Definition of overanxious

as in anxious

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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 overanxious But Withers, a 24-year-old UNC graduate student who once starred at North Mecklenburg High, got overanxious at just the wrong time. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 15 Mar. 2025 Advertisement Perhaps overanxious at the plate with so much on the table, the Mets left the bases loaded in the first and second and stranded eight runners overall through the first five innings. — Mike Fitzpatrick, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024 Doncic might sling a pass across the span of an overanxious defense, to an unmarked teammate in the distant corner. — Robert O'Connell, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2022 In the wake of humiliation in Afghanistan, would Washington be overanxious to demonstrate America’s continuing strength? — Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2021 In our overanxious age, worrying is sometimes now associated with the problem of overparenting. — Perri Klass, Harper's Magazine, 25 May 2021 But his presence was charming, like an overanxious kid brother who nonetheless puts everyone at ease. — Bill Pennington, New York Times, 19 Sep. 2020

Recent Examples of Synonyms for overanxious

Adjective

Everyone’s inner monologue is narrated by no less than author Zadie Smith, whose voice-over’s cool assurance forms a productive contrast with the characters’ anxious scrambling.

— Alison Herman, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
Even so, a person calling about an arrest or a custody dispute is just as likely to be anxious, and a voice that sounds human but is not can feel like deception, whatever the law requires.

— Hamid Kohan, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of anxious

Adjective

Maybe that sounds counterintuitive to folks worried about how the Bears are going to supply their roster with high-end talent in the next couple of years, and there will be a host of needs on defense alone.

— Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
Delawalla adds that many voters may also be worried about public health, particularly given the ongoing measles crisis and the summer’s cyclosporiasis outbreak.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of worried

Adjective

With its orange boxes and quirky prints, Hermès could be seen as whimsical, but it was usually associated with uptight parents and grandparents.

— Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026
Most impressive is its capacity to achieve the perfect balance between design and sophistication, without being uptight or boring.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of uptight

Adjective

The group — made up of high-strung news freelancer Billie (Lucy Freyer), chaotic diva Issa (Amita Rao), and life-of-the-party Anton (Owen Thiele) — are all at different places in love, life, and career.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2026
But gone was the tension of worrying about pleasing a high-strung, perfectionist host.

— Merrill Markoe, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of high-strung

Adjective

Meyers' thinking is that as the odds go up of a Democratic party win, investors are getting more nervous about parts of the artificial intelligence trade.

— Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026
Later on, after the guests have left, this cheating convention makes Kaylee nervous.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of nervous

Adjective

Following the restless night, the animals’ sleep windows lengthened while their total REM-like time jumped from roughly nine minutes to seventeen.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2026
Netflix’s org chart might be in crisis, and its subscribers are growing increasingly restless about the awful cadence of content worth caring about.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of restless

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over and over

overanxious

overarching

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“Overanxious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overanxious. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of overanxious

adjective

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