as in too
beyond a normal or acceptable limit
there's no need to be overly careful about the rough draft, since we'll polish it afterwards
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Recent Examples of overly
Black Mirror's take on dating apps has been criticized as overly cute, and its twist too familiar.
—
Christian Holub, EW.com, 18 Apr. 2025
While no strategy can eliminate risk entirely, diversification helps protect your portfolio from being overly affected by the poor performance of any single investment.
—True Tamplin, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Each letter comes across as a set piece, a small achievement of style and tone: Vasari’s flowery, deferential missives to the duke, Maria’s youthful ardor and confusion, the overly pious cattiness of a nun.
—Chelsea Leu, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Republican lawmakers have criticized the rule as overly broad and unworkable, pointing out that DeFi platforms operate autonomously on blockchains and often lack a central party to collect tax information.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overly
Christian Holub, EW.com, 18 Apr. 2025
While no strategy can eliminate risk entirely, diversification helps protect your portfolio from being overly affected by the poor performance of any single investment.
—True Tamplin, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Each letter comes across as a set piece, a small achievement of style and tone: Vasari’s flowery, deferential missives to the duke, Maria’s youthful ardor and confusion, the overly pious cattiness of a nun.
—Chelsea Leu, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Republican lawmakers have criticized the rule as overly broad and unworkable, pointing out that DeFi platforms operate autonomously on blockchains and often lack a central party to collect tax information.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overly
Adverb
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Standing push-ups done against a wall are another option, too.—
Cathy Cassata,
Health,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Having potentially too many high-end offensive defensemen can lead to some issues, including disagreements on utilization (only one defenseman is usually on the top power play), contract disputes (production is what usually leads to money) and would even possibly open them up to offer sheets.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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Cruise contracts are designed this way to prioritize safety, allowing the captain to make decisions without being unduly influenced by financial consequences.—
David Nikel,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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If the connections go widely unacknowledged, that’s only because Hess’s body of work has been unduly ignored by most critics, let alone viewers.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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Though experts have maintained that aviation remains extremely safe, fatal incidents have raised concerns about flying.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
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Revel is extremely talented, but the Bills need a corner who can step in and be good to go from the beginning of the season.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overly. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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