overzealous

adjective

over·​zeal·​ous ˌō-vər-ˈze-ləs 

: too zealous : having or showing too much zeal : excessively eager, enthusiastic, or fervent

overzealous parents

overzealous workers

… another version of the overzealous monitoring that has produced kids who leave for college without ever having crossed the street by themselves.

—Peggy Orenstein

The village saw the orders as unwarranted interference from an overzealous state bureaucracy and promptly appealed.

—Joe Treen and S. Avery Brown

overzealously adverb

… has been frequently accused by its critics of acting recklessly, overzealously, and even, at times, illegally.

—Steve Lustgarden

overzealousness noun

Jewell was annoyed that press descriptions of him always emphasized his "overzealousness"; he considers himself a man of details.

—Marie Brenner

Examples of overzealous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Burke seems to be off to a fast start, putting more emphasis than Foxx did on prosecuting accused criminals rather than righting the wrongs of overzealous prosecutors of the past. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025

All of the overzealous football tackles in Wedding Crashers and car-window smashing in Licorice Pizza led to this. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2025

Some financial firms have accused the bureau of overreach and overzealous enforcement actions. —Adam Smith, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025

Though her screen time is relatively brief, Moore stands out for her comedic contributions as an overzealous recent convert to Judaism. —Katie Rife, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1628, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overzealous

• bellis
• felis
• fellas
• jealous
• pelisse
• trellis
• zealous
• michaelis
• nucellus
• ocellus