as in excessive
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount
The writing was great, but some of the acting was over-the-top.
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Recent Examples of over-the-top
Chris Cooper, 'Adaptation' (2003) Cooper goes all in with an over-the-top personality in this very strange meta dramedy.
—
Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
Georgina was the show’s most frequent recurring guest through its original six seasons, and every plot line grew more ridiculous and over-the-top than the last.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2025
With her cheeky demeanor and sharp comedic timing, Trachtenberg fit in naturally with the over-the-top humor that dominated Nickelodeon in the ’90s.
—Dan Heching, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
Lodging is all in over-the-top oversized suites, and The Lodge at Blue Sky basically combines a wilderness luxury resort, spa and fine dining with a topnotch ski resort hotel.
—Larry Olmsted, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for over-the-top
Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
Georgina was the show’s most frequent recurring guest through its original six seasons, and every plot line grew more ridiculous and over-the-top than the last.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2025
With her cheeky demeanor and sharp comedic timing, Trachtenberg fit in naturally with the over-the-top humor that dominated Nickelodeon in the ’90s.
—Dan Heching, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
Lodging is all in over-the-top oversized suites, and The Lodge at Blue Sky basically combines a wilderness luxury resort, spa and fine dining with a topnotch ski resort hotel.
—Larry Olmsted, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for over-the-top
Recent Examples of Synonyms for over-the-top
Adjective
-
There lies the problem: the intention to customize is honorable, but the execution—excessive repetition—like the extra spaces in Mail Merge, backfires.—
Jerry Weissman,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
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The day before Tanna Rae died, the U.S. National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for all of Arizona, coinciding with temperatures rising past 110 degrees.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Your voice is insane.—
Mary Colurso | mcolurso@al.com,
al,
4 Apr. 2023
-
But obviously winning the grand jury prize was insane.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
31 Mar. 2023
Adjective
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One of the more extravagant is Maass by chef Ryan Ratino.—
Liza B. Zimmerman,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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This fresh, modern reimagining of Ang Lee’s 1993 classic by Andrew Ahn follows a group of friends who need to get married for convenience—until family arrives, and the plan spirals into extravagant, chaotic mayhem.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Time after time, extreme pessimism has set the stage for outsized gains, on average, as evidenced by the 39 previous times where the number of Bulls has been equal to or less than the present tally.—
John Buckingham,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
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For Rico Nasty, extreme was the name of the game, with some needlepoint glam by way of her acupuncturist.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
1 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Over-the-top.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/over-the-top. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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