OVERANXIOUS Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

overanxious

adjective

Definition of overanxious

as in anxious

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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 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

That feels very much in tune with the anxious characters Eisenberg has played over the course of his acting career, but this whole directing thing is working out nicely for him, too.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
Nelson remembers hushing her foster children back to sleep that night and calling 911, anxious for an end to those sleepless nights.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of anxious

Adjective

When Republican lawmakers secured cuts to the United States' largest food assistance program last year, Paige Shoemaker DeMio wasn't worried about children going hungry just at home — but at school.

— Juliana Kim, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
Mattfeld is excellent in what could easily have been a thankless role, playing Ricky with the mien of someone who is always holding it together, years of disappointment and condescension and expectation keeping her eyes worried and jaw tight.

— Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of worried

Adjective

Admittedly, viewers on the festival circuit, like those in Locarno where this debuted, and folks who might catch it on streamers or in niche distribution are unlikely to be very bothered about the film’s lack of impartiality.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2026
Rumpled lengths ooze insouciance, radiating a can't-be-bothered energy that, for some, is far cooler than even the bounciest blowout.

— Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 4 July 2026

Definition of bothered

Adjective

With Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs, and pop star Charli XCX playing against type as Elliot’s uptight girlfriend.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 31 July 2026
Could anyone else be as uptight as Alan Ruck’s Cameron in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?

— Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 21 July 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

The letter writer is almost 40 and nervous about living with a romantic partner for the first time.

— Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
That energy spike is reinforcing inflation worries in a bond market already nervous about America’s $40 trillion mountain of debt.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of nervous

Adjective

But Timeless is the first release of unheard recordings since 2023, and fans grew restless in the interim, circulating petitions and open letters asking for more from Prince’s storied vaults.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026
Turner played a restless man drafted into the British Army in the years after World War II.

— L. Sue Baugh, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of restless

Adjective

Garten sported hers buttoned up over a sleek pair of black tapered trousers while Gaines went more casual, with a distressed version and a matching pair of wide-leg jeans for a Canadian tuxedo vibe.

— Shea Simmons, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2026
Fans are also shown waving the flag of the Philippines, an overhead shot of Eala’s black Chanel handbag and the WTA player posing in distressed jeans and a tangerine-colored open-back top.

— Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of distressed

Browse Nearby Words

over and over

overanxious

overarching

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“Overanxious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overanxious. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of overanxious

adjective

Example Sentences

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