Meaning & use
overzealous
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparabledisapproving
So keen to do your job or enforce a rule that you go too far and cause trouble.
Grammar: Comes before a noun or after a linking verb: an overzealous guard; he was overzealous.
Patterns
- overzealous in doing something
- an overzealous official
An overzealous parking officer gave me a ticket within a minute.
The overzealous intern deleted files he was not supposed to touch.
She was overzealous in correcting everyone's grammar.
Word forms
| comparative | more overzealous |
|---|---|
| superlative | most overzealous |
Common combinations
- overzealous police officer
- An overzealous police officer stopped every car on the road.
- overzealous enforcement
- The council apologized for overzealous enforcement of the new rule.
- overzealous fan
- An overzealous fan jumped onto the stage.
- overzealous in
- The new manager was overzealous in cutting costs.
- overzealous editor
- An overzealous editor rewrote the whole article.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overenthusiastic
- Is milder and may be only slightly critical, while overzealous implies real harm or overreach.
- zealous
- Means very keen without the idea of excess, and can even be admiring.
- fanatical
- Suggests extreme, almost obsessive commitment to a cause, which is stronger than overzealous.
- officious
- Describes someone who is bossy about small rules and orders people around, which is narrower than overzealous.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: overzealous or overjealous?
overzealous vs overjealous
Jealous refers to envy, while zealous refers to eager enthusiasm, so these are not interchangeable.
Practice
An ____ security guard stopped the CEO from entering her own office because she had forgotten her badge.
Choose one answer.
Overzealous describes taking a rule too far. Apathetic and hesitant suggest a lack of effort, and generous does not fit the situation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “overzealous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.