as in protective
trying too hard to protect someone (such as a child) from danger
His overprotective mother won't let him go out after dark. He is overprotective of his little sister.
Related Words
Relevance
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 overprotective
Season 3 As Season 3 begins, Eleven and Mike are officially a couple and can't keep their hands off each other, upsetting an overprotective Hopper, who tries to break them up.
—
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 19 Nov. 2025
In Seasons 2 and 3, Eleven and Hopper experience some friction due to Hopper’s overprotective concern for Eleven’s safety; by Season 4, the characters operate in totally separate storylines and don’t share a scene until the last minutes of the season finale.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 8 Nov. 2025
Wagner apologizes, knowing that his relationship with his baby, who is now 27 years old, is too important to throw away by being overprotective of her (or of his work-daughter Kaya).
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Burghardt wrote the script for the movie, which World Of Reel previously revealed will tell the story of a young woman on the autism spectrum who breaks free from her overprotective but loving mother in search of freedom, friendship, and a little chaos in the summer after high school graduation.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
Chaban stayed at Elite for four years and built a name for himself as being tough and overprotective of his models.
—Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2025
Mika takes a job teaching three young witches, and getting to know a grumpy and overprotective librarian, Jamie, who is also in charge of their care.
—Audrey Goldberg Ruoff, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
These 2025 Best of Beauty Award winners offer all the overprotective pros without any aggravating cons.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 19 Nov. 2025
In Seasons 2 and 3, Eleven and Hopper experience some friction due to Hopper’s overprotective concern for Eleven’s safety; by Season 4, the characters operate in totally separate storylines and don’t share a scene until the last minutes of the season finale.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 8 Nov. 2025
Wagner apologizes, knowing that his relationship with his baby, who is now 27 years old, is too important to throw away by being overprotective of her (or of his work-daughter Kaya).
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Burghardt wrote the script for the movie, which World Of Reel previously revealed will tell the story of a young woman on the autism spectrum who breaks free from her overprotective but loving mother in search of freedom, friendship, and a little chaos in the summer after high school graduation.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
Chaban stayed at Elite for four years and built a name for himself as being tough and overprotective of his models.
—Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2025
Mika takes a job teaching three young witches, and getting to know a grumpy and overprotective librarian, Jamie, who is also in charge of their care.
—Audrey Goldberg Ruoff, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
These 2025 Best of Beauty Award winners offer all the overprotective pros without any aggravating cons.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overprotective
Adjective
-
Defense applications include lightweight shelters and protective structures printed in one continuous build.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Police said that Hounsou was instructed both on how to obtain a temporary protective order and how the eviction process works in the county.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
What readers are saying The comments largely focus on the need for the boyfriend to set boundaries with his sister, who exhibits possessive and inappropriate behavior.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Not possessive -- possessive and addictive type personality.—
Rachel Scott,
ABC News,
16 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Apparently, some Eastern Conference teams were jealous.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Some of them may also be jealous or closed-minded.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overprotective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overprotective. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
