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

The director general was attempting to lift the gloom after being beset with questions from anxious employees about job losses, service reductions, and general retrenchment.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2026
An anxious child Apart from her scribbled notes, scant details are available about Runa’s experience in detention, according to her lawyer Yoshihiro Mukai.

— Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of anxious

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

Since the incident, the flamingo has been doing all right physically but is more anxious and nervous when being evaluated, said Peachy’s veterinarian, Tiffany Moore, medical director of Lone Mountain Animal Hospital.

— Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
As the military-style helicopter hovered above them, attendees from the rural, predominantly Latino community, began to get nervous.

— Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of nervous

Adjective

Snapping open and shut the phone satisfied some deep, restless urge, and the same was true for the rotational flourish of the wrist involved in opening and closing the knife.

— Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2026
The basal ganglia get better at their job during the first thirty years of life; this is partly why kids are more impulsive and restless than adults.

— Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of restless

Adjective

Early rock-and-roll double denim was common, usually featuring some sort of distressed indigo jeans and a chambray work shirt.

— Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
Officials said hunters should watch for signs of infection, including visible maggots in wounds, foul-smelling injuries and animals that appear weak or distressed.

— Kierra Frazier, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of distressed

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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 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of overanxious

adjective

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