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
The interlude took only a minute or two but received outsize attention—and ridicule—as an example of how Democrats remain overly concerned with performative pandering to various small identity groups.
—
Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Keep Meat from Drying Out To keep your pork or chicken from drying out in a slow cooker, add one or two yellow (not overly ripe) peels just before cooking.
—Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 10 Feb. 2026
Visit our website This is not to paint an overly rosy picture for the Republicans.
—Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
There's no Federal Reserve meeting on the calendar this month to shake things up, either, making now a smart time to review your mortgage rate options without having to be overly concerned with outside developments that could impact your offers.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overly
Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Keep Meat from Drying Out To keep your pork or chicken from drying out in a slow cooker, add one or two yellow (not overly ripe) peels just before cooking.
—Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 10 Feb. 2026
Visit our website This is not to paint an overly rosy picture for the Republicans.
—Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
There's no Federal Reserve meeting on the calendar this month to shake things up, either, making now a smart time to review your mortgage rate options without having to be overly concerned with outside developments that could impact your offers.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overly
Adverb
-
That question is something other clients have asked, too, Olins says.—
Catherine E. Shoichet,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The days of emphasizing sinkers and sliders and leaning too heavily on fastballs — see Dollander, Chase — are over.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
12 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The vacuum is excessively loud.—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
-
For me, in Friday’s painfully long, inevitably uneven, excessively dance-obsessed but also somehow lovable Milan Cortina 2026 event, that moment came early.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
7 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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This ability to chop and change without unduly weakening the team — Smith seamlessly replacing top scorer Kieffer Moore over Christmas as midfielder George Thomason deputed admirably at left wing-back — could become even more important if further progress is made in the Cup.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
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If Rozier is paying for Laster’s attorney, that could unduly affect his friend's own defense, prosecutors said.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
17 Dec. 2025
Adverb
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Perhaps, on extremely long timescales, those heavier elements will sink to the center of the core, producing an inert center that slows the rate of fusion even further.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Feb. 2026
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Even in hockey – a sport that is extremely popular around the world – there are terms used by commentators or pundits that you might not be accustomed to hearing if not a regular to the sport.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overly. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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