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

Grab the advantage and use the time to pull out unwanted weeds and thin overzealous seedlings. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2024

Some of the photos from previous treks went viral à la Chris Brown with fan’s overzealous requests. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 18 Oct. 2024

There aren't any additional optional extras except for colour. Safety Thankfully, its safety systems aren't overzealous. —Matthew MacConnell, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024

But becoming overzealous about results can eat away at kids’ mental strength because so many factors besides effort can influence the outcome. —Scott Mautz, Contributor, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1628, in the meaning defined above