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

President-elect Trump’s pledge to enact mass deportations and end birthright citizenship, potentially affecting millions of U.S. citizens, is raising alarm bells among immigrant communities who fear an overzealous Trump administration could destroy countless families. —Rafael Bernal, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2024

The only person who doesn’t like him is the overzealous town sheriff, Nate (played by Craig Robinson). —Laura Bradley, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024

Wiz Khalifa has gone viral after scolding an overzealous fan for tossing money at him during a live performance in Thailand. —Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 26 Nov. 2024

These comments target the populations that have been most vulnerable to overzealous spyware campaigns in other Western democracies. —Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1628, in the meaning defined above