excessive

adjective

ik-ˈse-siv How to pronounce excessive (audio)
Definition of excessivenext
as in extreme
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount nerdy hackers who spend an excessive amount of time sitting in front of their computers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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excessive amounts
extreme amounts
unnecessary amounts
copious amounts
unhealthy amounts
enormous amounts
excessive use
excessive wear
extreme wear
heavy wear
massive wear

Synonym Chooser

How is the word excessive different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of excessive are exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, immoderate, and inordinate. While all these words mean "going beyond a normal limit," excessive implies an amount or degree too great to be reasonable or acceptable.

excessive punishment

When is exorbitant a more appropriate choice than excessive?

The words exorbitant and excessive can be used in similar contexts, but exorbitant implies a departure from accepted standards regarding amount or degree.

exorbitant prices

Where would extravagant be a reasonable alternative to excessive?

While the synonyms extravagant and excessive are close in meaning, extravagant implies an indifference to restraints imposed by truth, prudence, or good taste.

extravagant claims for the product

When might extreme be a better fit than excessive?

Although the words extreme and excessive have much in common, extreme may imply an approach to the farthest limit possible or conceivable but commonly means only to a notably high degree.

extreme shyness

When can immoderate be used instead of excessive?

The words immoderate and excessive are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, immoderate implies lack of desirable or necessary restraint.

immoderate spending

When is it sensible to use inordinate instead of excessive?

The meanings of inordinate and excessive largely overlap; however, inordinate implies an exceeding of the limits dictated by reason or good judgment.

inordinate pride

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 excessive Whether your hair is naturally dry or parched from excessive color treatments and heat styling, brittle strands are a stubborn bummer. —Annie Blackman, Glamour, 14 July 2025 Instead, this study revealed an association between reported feelings of anxiety on Mondays and excessive levels of glucocorticoid production. —New Atlas, 13 July 2025 But bad government policies like rent control and excessive spending and bureaucratic laws like the California Environmental Quality Act that drive up housing construction costs are as much to blame here, if not more. —Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 13 July 2025 This thunderstorm is producing an excessive amount of deadly cloud to ground lightning. —Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 13 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for excessive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excessive
  1. extreme
  2. extravagant
  3. insane
  4. steep
  5. lavish
Adjective
  • This surge in extreme heat drives up energy demand and poses serious health risks to vulnerable populations.
    — Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025
  • Car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes in the extreme heat.
    — Katie Wiseman, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 July 2025
Definition of extreme
Adjective
  • Breaking up the wearying journey, devotees gather for outbreaks of extravagant revelry – ground-shaking music and dancing fueled by devotion, ganja and alcohol, as befits in their eyes Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and renewal, to whom the festival is dedicated.
    — Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 25 July 2025
  • Trump and his allies have seized on the project as evidence of wasteful spending by alleging the Fed’s building revamp of including extravagant rooftop gardens, VIP elevators, and high-end dining rooms—claims Powell and the Fed have strongly denied.
    — Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 23 July 2025
Definition of extravagant
Adjective
  • Amanda learned in like 10 seconds, which is insane.
    — Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2025
  • The emu egg—a two pound, eight-inch ovoid with a sultry teal shell gently speckled in pale green—seemed like just the right absurdist final flourish for an already insane endeavor.
    — Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2025
Definition of insane
Adjective
  • However, Trump has imposed steep new taxes on imports of Canadian steel, aluminum and autos, and Carney's team has focused on trying to get those eliminated or reduced.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 July 2025
  • But Trump has resisted backing a bipartisan U.S. bill to impose steep sanctions on Russia, instead giving Russia 50 days to accept a peace deal or face sanctions on its energy exports.
    — Michelle L. Price, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2025
Definition of steep
Adjective
  • At this point, the major labels are practically giving away disks, throwing them into large boxes, sometimes with lavish notes and photos, sometimes with contemptuous bareness.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 20 July 2025
  • Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez wed in a lavish ceremony that took place on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy, on June 27.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 18 July 2025
Definition of lavish

Browse Nearby Words

excessing
excessive
excessively
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Cite this Entry

“Excessive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excessive. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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Nglish: Translation of excessive for Spanish Speakers

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