1
as in dominant
coming before all others in importance
the overbearing problem in our nation's schools
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
the doctor's overbearing attitude is resented by nurses and patients alike
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in defeating
to achieve a victory over
that year the football team simply overbore opponent after opponent with steamroller ruthlessness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of overbearing
Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
At 18 tracks — with two more on the deluxe edition — Jump Out feels expansive without ever trudging into the realm of seeming overbearing.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2025
Happiest Baby also provides guidance on handling overbearing grandparents, advising parents to explain their choices, ask about the grandparents' own boundaries, and ensure mutual respect.
—John Yoo and John Shu, Newsweek, 23 Jan. 2025
His father, Dave, was a salesman who never recovered from the Great Depression; the breadwinner was his mother, Rhoda, a fashion sketch artist whose overbearing nature left track marks on his psyche.
—Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overbearing
Adjective
Anarchists rivaled Marxists in their efforts to capture the radical imagination, offering visions of a society shorn of an overbearing state.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
At 18 tracks — with two more on the deluxe edition — Jump Out feels expansive without ever trudging into the realm of seeming overbearing.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2025
Happiest Baby also provides guidance on handling overbearing grandparents, advising parents to explain their choices, ask about the grandparents' own boundaries, and ensure mutual respect.
—John Yoo and John Shu, Newsweek, 23 Jan. 2025
His father, Dave, was a salesman who never recovered from the Great Depression; the breadwinner was his mother, Rhoda, a fashion sketch artist whose overbearing nature left track marks on his psyche.
—Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overbearing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overbearing
Adjective
-
Othering is a social phenomenon where individuals or groups are perceived and treated as fundamentally different from a dominant or in-group.—
Julie Kratz,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
-
But their defense was so dominant from the second quarter on that the Trojans still could have won without scoring in the second half.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In this way, democratic parenting is markedly different from both permissive parenting and authoritarian parenting.—
Miranda Rake,
Parents,
14 Mar. 2025
-
They are also seen as sharing a joint interest in diminishing the role of the U.S. and other liberal democracies in determining world events in favor of their own highly authoritarian systems.—
Christopher Bodeen,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Everybody plays numerous parts, assigned without regard to gender (there’s even a cameo for Fleming), but the anchors are Cumming’s Cholmondeley, the nerd who came up the audacious idea, and Hodgson’s Montagu, the operation’s main manager and salesman.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
21 Mar. 2025
-
The physical pop-up takes over The Carousel @ Bloomingdale’s 1,600-square foot main floor space, as well as displays in the store’s Lexington Avenue windows for the launch.—
Lisa Lockwood,
WWD,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Since then, he’s portrayed a colorful collection of characters, from a domineering theater owner in Shakespeare in Love to Pirates of the Caribbean’s villain turned hero, Captain Hector Barbossa.—
airmail.news,
airmail.news,
8 Mar. 2025
-
All the while, his domineering mother Bunny (played by the late Frances Sternhagen) is determined to stay the number one woman in her son's life.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
EW.com,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Spirit is headquartered in Dania Beach and remains one of the predominant carriers at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.—
David Lyons,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2025
-
One of the predominant worries of our age is the desire to live authentically.—
David Katz,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
So this kind of parallel can easily be drawn between Iran and other countries, [including those with] an arrogant isolation program, definitely.—
Georg Szalai,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Mar. 2025
-
One of the targets of his reign of terror is arrogant Judge Stefan Mortensen, played by Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush admitted to the facility after being left partially paralyzed after a stroke.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The future of content creation lies not in choosing between human or artificial intelligence, but in mastering their combination.—
Ian Shepherd,
Forbes,
29 Dec. 2024
-
The key to mastering the look, according to A-list manicurist Tinu Bello?—
Ranyechi Udemezue,
Vogue,
28 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
What is the character of those who bear false witness and favor Russia’s tyrannical lies over Ukrainians’ unalienable rights?—
Mark Sandy,
TIME,
14 Mar. 2025
-
The Constitution that resulted outlined a separation of powers between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, serving together as a system of checks and balances to prevent the kind of tyrannical rule that the colonies fought to free themselves from.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
TIME,
20 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overbearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overbearing. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share