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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples of overly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Specifically, people with HCM tend to develop a type of heart failure in which the left ventricle can’t fill with enough blood—because of its overly muscular walls—to then pump sufficient blood throughout the body.
—
Lori Oliwenstein, TIME, 12 Sep. 2024
Maya Rudolph — queen, mother, icon — has been overly polite in agreeing to address this history time and time again.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 11 Sep. 2024
Investors have a long history of being overly optimistic about how much and when the Fed will cut interest rates, only to send stock prices lower after being confronted with reality.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2024
In recent years, some migrants seeking entry have shown up among the two million names in the FBI’s terrorism watch list, but this seems to reflect the fact that the list itself is overly inclusive rather than suggesting constant attempts by jihadis to penetrate the U.S. homeland.
—John Mueller, Foreign Affairs, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for overly 
Lori Oliwenstein, TIME, 12 Sep. 2024
Maya Rudolph — queen, mother, icon — has been overly polite in agreeing to address this history time and time again.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 11 Sep. 2024
Investors have a long history of being overly optimistic about how much and when the Fed will cut interest rates, only to send stock prices lower after being confronted with reality.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2024
In recent years, some migrants seeking entry have shown up among the two million names in the FBI’s terrorism watch list, but this seems to reflect the fact that the list itself is overly inclusive rather than suggesting constant attempts by jihadis to penetrate the U.S. homeland.
—John Mueller, Foreign Affairs, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for overly
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Thesaurus Entries Near overly
Cite this Entry
“Overly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overly. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share