as in surplus
the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed
the song already borders on the maudlin—the addition of a syrupy string accompaniment would just be overkill
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Recent Examples of overkill
That big ol’ stockpot may suddenly seem like total overkill.
—
Jessica Saari Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2025
That might seem like overkill for a model that only has human-level persuasive writing capabilities.
—Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2025
Even the Obama administration had not engaged in this kind of prosecutorial overkill.
—The Editors, National Review, 28 Jan. 2025
The investors who had pumped trillions of dollars into tech stocks over the last few years worried whether the tens of billions of dollars that tech companies were spending on new data centers suddenly looked like comic overkill.
—Karen Weise, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overkill
Jessica Saari Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2025
That might seem like overkill for a model that only has human-level persuasive writing capabilities.
—Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2025
Even the Obama administration had not engaged in this kind of prosecutorial overkill.
—The Editors, National Review, 28 Jan. 2025
The investors who had pumped trillions of dollars into tech stocks over the last few years worried whether the tens of billions of dollars that tech companies were spending on new data centers suddenly looked like comic overkill.
—Karen Weise, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overkill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overkill
Noun
-
New movies and series are added to Apple TV Plus every Wednesday and Friday, ad-free, and in surplus.—
Alexander Cox,
Space.com,
26 May 2025
-
Connecticut has funneled $12.5 billion in surpluses since 2017 to build reserves and scale back pension debt, a furious pace that far outstrips any similar effort in modern history.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
25 May 2025
Noun
-
That's right—even the sprayer in your at-home spa needs to be cleaned from time to time to remove an excess of buildup that can change the way your soothing shower feels.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
23 May 2025
-
Workers have to remove large seven-point leaves, weigh them and account for each piece of plant material before the excess gets thrown away.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
Approximately 300 people attended the dedication ceremony, which took place in the auditorium and spilled out into a full overflow room.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2025
-
Next door, a packed overflow room of additional journalists listened via a live feed.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
18 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overkill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overkill. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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