Meanings
adjectiveovercautious (comparative more overcautious, superlative most overcautious)
comparative more overcautious · superlative most overcautious
- Excessively cautious.
Synonyms: hypercautious · Antonyms: undercautious, careless, reckless, daring
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveunnecessarily cautious
Similar
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*úp
- Proto-Indo-European*upér
- Proto-Germanic*uber
- Old Englishofer-
- Middle Englishover-
- Englishover-
- Englishcautious
- Englishovercautious
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 謹小慎微 /谨小慎微, 縮手縮腳 /缩手缩脚
- 謹小慎微 /谨小慎微 (jǐnxiǎoshènwēi)excessively cautious
- 縮手縮腳 /缩手缩脚 (suōshǒusuōjiǎo)excessively cautious
- 拘謹 /拘谨 (jūjǐn)excessively cautious
- 過分謹慎小心的 /过分谨慎小心的 (guòfèn jǐnshèn xiǎoxīn de)excessively cautious
Finnish ylivarovainen
- ylivarovainenexcessively cautious
German übervorsichtig
- übervorsichtigexcessively cautious
Polish asekurancki
- asekuranckiexcessively cautious
Russian сверхосторо́жный
- сверхосторо́жный (sverxostoróžnyj)excessively cautious
Cite this entry
APA
overcautious. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overcautious
MLA
“overcautious.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overcautious. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “overcautious,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overcautious.
Source: overcautious on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.