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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overly
Voting rights groups say the various proposals seeking to require proof of citizenship are overly burdensome and threaten to disenfranchise millions of Americans.
—
Christina A. Cassidy, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Chung predicted Lee won't be able to pursue overly drastic steps on foreign policy and security, given the country's foreign exchange and financial markets are very vulnerable to such changes.
—Arkansas Online, 3 June 2025
Moscow had upped the intensity of its missile and drone strikes on Ukraine in recent weeks, drawing sharp rebuke from Trump, who is disinclined to overly criticize the Kremlin.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 June 2025
Hygiene makes the ideal man more acceptable for that private members' club aura, keeping things fresh and well-maintained, while moisturizing and avoiding looking overly oily or dry.
—Cassell Ferere, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for overly
Christina A. Cassidy, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Chung predicted Lee won't be able to pursue overly drastic steps on foreign policy and security, given the country's foreign exchange and financial markets are very vulnerable to such changes.
—Arkansas Online, 3 June 2025
Moscow had upped the intensity of its missile and drone strikes on Ukraine in recent weeks, drawing sharp rebuke from Trump, who is disinclined to overly criticize the Kremlin.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 June 2025
Hygiene makes the ideal man more acceptable for that private members' club aura, keeping things fresh and well-maintained, while moisturizing and avoiding looking overly oily or dry.
—Cassell Ferere, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for overly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overly
Adverb
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But there are many times when Ait-Nouri resorts to his tricks too readily, with his over-elaboration putting his team in trouble.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
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Similarly, if one person yells loudly during a funeral, other people will, too.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
5 June 2025
Adverb
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Overemphasizing uncertainties can be used to raise doubt and unduly undermine confidence in robust findings.—
H. Christopher Frey,
The Conversation,
5 June 2025
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That bill imposed a $10,000 ceiling, which the blue-state GOP lawmakers said unduly punished their area’s homeowners, who suddenly had a massively larger tax bill.—
Tobias Burns,
The Hill,
2 June 2025
Adverb
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No vaccine is perfect, the experts said, but the risk with the Covid vaccine is extremely small and the problems like a sore arm or a low-grade fever that some of his patients have experienced resolved quickly.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
7 June 2025
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Stef Stef is extremely mature and grounded in her investigation of the Goon Docks.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overly. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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