[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/overly.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / overly

[← O](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/O/)

# overly

«overly» in Mova's school dictionary: **too much, more than needed** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

adverb (overly)

### meaning for a pupil

Overly means too much, more than needed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overly/#m1)

### sense in the lessons

Used in everyday and school talk, often with «not»: «not overly keen» means not very keen (a polite, understated way of speaking).

### examples

- Don't be overly worried about the test. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overly/#x1)
- The film was overly long. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overly/#x2)
- I'm not overly fond of broccoli. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overly/#x3)
- She was overly polite to the visitors. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overly/#x4)
- The rules seemed overly strict. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overly/#x5)
- He was overly careful with the eggs. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overly/#x6)

### note

Used before an adjective: overly long, overly careful. «Not overly» is a gentle way of saying «not very». More common in US English; in the UK people also say «too» or «over-».

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «overly» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overly/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.