overly B2 Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈoʊvɝli/ See IPA manual Freq #12428 Meanings 1 adv To too great a degree; more than is suitable. Parents can be overly protective of their children. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · to too great a degree; more... excessivelytoo Word family Derived forms overliness Common collocations overly subtle Adverb + adjective Etymology AI details From over + -ly (adjectival suffix). Topics Describing Qualities External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # overly **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /ˈoʊvɝli/ **Frequency rank:** 12428 ## Meanings 1. To too great a degree; more than is suitable. ## Examples - Parents can be overly protective of their children. ## Derived Forms - overliness ## Etymology From over + -ly (adjectival suffix). ## AI Etymology Overly comes from over + -ly (adjectival suffix). Modern senses include to too great a degree; more than is suitable. The wider word family includes derivatives such as overliness. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown