overly

1. not comparableproscribedsometimesTo an excessive degree.

   Parents can be overly protective of their children.

   5 more examples

   […] considering the circumstances of my situation, I saw it would not do for me to look out for an overly young woman, nor yet would it do for one of my ways to take an elderly maiden, ladies of that sort being liable to possess strong-set particularities.

   1821, John Galt, chapter 37, in Annals of the Parish, Philadelphia: M. Carey & Sons, page 214

   It’s nothing short of wonderful how she’s improved these three years, but especially in looks. She’s a real pretty girl got to be, though I can’t say I’m overly partial to that pale, big-eyed style myself.

   1908, Lucy Maud Montgomery, chapter 30, in Anne of Green Gables

   Your race is overly sentimental; it distorts your judgment.

   1958, Robert Heinlein, chapter 11, in Have Space Suit—Will Travel, New York: Del Rey, page 238

   This means, at times, long and perhaps overly discursive discussions of other taxa.

   1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page viii

   And this is where the larger problem lies: when states try to enforce impossible bans, everyone loses. 3D printing farragoes have all the hallmarks of the absolute worst kind of ineffectual ban: one which encourages overly draconian laws that carry huge side effects, and that ultimately to have little to no effect.

   2013 May 10, James Ball, “US government attempts to stifle 3D-printer gun designs will ultimately fail”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 14 Apr 2023

   Synonyms: too, excessively, superfluously

2. negativenot comparableusuallyTo a high degree; very.

   I'm not overly enthusiastic about meeting him.

3. not comparableobsoleteSuperficially.

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   1566, Thomas Blundeville, The Fower Chiefyst Offices Belongyng to Horsemanshippe, London, “The true Arte of Paring, and shooyng all maner of Houes together […] ,” Chapter 5, […] let him not touche the quarters nor the heeles at al, vnlesse it be to make the seat of the shoe playne, & let that be done so superficially or ouerly as maye be, so shall the houes remayne alwayes strong.

   These kinds of reproofes, not vnfitly may be compared to hotte or hastie healing salues, which drawe a faire skinne ouer a fowle wound; which because it is not soundly cured from the bottome, but ouerly healed vp, doth afterward apostemate or fistulate, and becommeth more dangerous and desperate then euer before.

   1604, William Perkins, chapter 6, in A Commentarie or Exposition, vpon the Fiue First Chapters of the Epistle to the Galatians, Cambridge, page 482

   1678, George Mackenzie, The Laws and Customes of Scotland, in Matters Criminal, Edinburgh, Part 1, “Some Crimes punished amongst the Romans, which are not directly in use with us,” p. 347, […] I resolved here to touch overly even those crimes which are little considered among us, not only that we might thereby know the genius of that wise Nation; but that we may consider how far it were fit to renew amongst us these excellent Laws.

4. not comparableobsoleteCarelessly, without due attention.

   If you expect the Poor should work cheaper, and not perform their Work slighter and more overly, as we call it, and superficially, you expect what is not in the Nature of the Thing.

   1728, Daniel Defoe, A Plan of the English Commerce, London: Charles Rivington, page 60

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   […] you shall finde this, that all remissenesse, when a man doth a thing remissely, and ouerly, and perfunctorily, it argues alway a diuided intention, it is an argument that the whole minde is not set on it, but that the intention is distracted, and bestowed on other things:

   1629, John Preston, The New Covenant, or the Saints Portion, London: Nicolas Bourne, Sermon 9, p. 51

5. not comparableobsoleteWith a sense of superiority, haughtily.

   The third [vice] is Arrogancie, and the fourth Pride, two vices neer a kinne, Cosen germans […] when men shall arrogate much unto themselves; looking overly and superciliously upon others.

   1650, John Brinsley the younger, An Antidote against the Poysonous Weeds of Heretical Blasphemies, London: Ralph Smith, page 3

comparative more overly · superlative most overly

1. obsoleteSuperficial; not thorough; careless, negligent, inattentive.

   Hee prayeth but with an ouerly desire, and not from the deepe of his heart, that will not bend his endeauours withall to obtaine what he desireth:

   1627, Robert Sanderson, Ten Sermons, London: R. Dawlman, Sermon 3, p. 120

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   The curteous Citizen bad me to his feast, With hollow words, and ouerly request: Come, will ye dine with me this Holy day? I yeelded, tho he hop’d I would say Nay:

   1602, Joseph Hall, Virgidemiarium Sixe Bookes, London: Robert Dexter, Satire 3, page 52

   Concerning the passions in particular, however irregular, headstrong, and perverse, in an overly view, they may appear, I propose to show, that they are by nature adjusted and tempered with admirable wisdom, for the good of society as well as for private good.

   1762, Henry Home, Lord Kames, Elements of Criticism, Edinburgh: A. Kincaid & J. Bell, Volume 1, Chapter 2, Part 7, p. 222

2. obsoleteHaving a sense of superiority, haughty.

   Those that know no better, may rejoyce and exult in these worldly contentments; but those, who have had but a blink of the beauty of heaven, can look upon them no otherwise, than with an overly contemptuousnesse.

   1637, Joseph Hall, The Remedy of Prophanenesse, London: Nathanael Butter, Book 1, Section 8, p. 66

3. obsoleteExcessive; too great.

   […] there appears a very chilling want of open-heartedness on the part of Owen, produced perhaps by the somewhat overly and certainly most ungracious resentments of Baxter.

   1839, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Notes on Baxter’s Life of Himself”, in Henry Nelson Coleridge, editor, The Literary Remains of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, volume 4, London: W. Pickering, page 140