excessive hours

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "excessive hours" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe a situation where someone is working more hours than is considered reasonable or healthy. Example: "The employees expressed their concerns about the excessive hours they were required to work each week."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Penalties for employers who routinely have juniors working excessive hours.

The Guardian

No one voted to be forced to work excessive hours.

The Guardian - Opinion

Sweatshops often involve poverty-level wages, excessive hours of labour, and unsafe or unhealthful workplace conditions.

Britannica

The new contract removes many of the contractual safeguards protecting junior doctors from working excessive hours.

Independent

Ever more employees are working excessive hours, defined as more than 48 a week; 3.4 million workers (excluding the self-employed) now work excessive hours, a jump of 15% since 2010, after a long period of decline.

The Guardian - Opinion

On the political stage, too, having spent excessive hours in seminar rooms and libraries is widely regarded as a liability.

The New Yorker

This could turn the excessive hours worked by American students from a national handicap to a strength.

The New York Times

These individuals have been rewarded for putting work above all else and spending excessive hours at the office.

Harvard Business Review

The Guardian, which interviewed workers in Dhaka, confirmed the allegations of excessive hours and poor working conditions in the report.

The Guardian

Private oversight, he thinks, is not enough to eliminate workplace dangers, excessive hours, child labor and poor wages.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

They claim to put in 80-plus-hour weeks presumably because they think excessive hours impress their bosses.

Harvard Business Review

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing a situation where time committment is unusually long, use "excessive hours" to convey the intensity

Common error

Avoid using "excessive hours" interchangeably with standard "overtime". "Overtime" simply refers to hours worked beyond the standard workweek, while "excessive hours" implies a degree of overwork that is potentially harmful or exploitative.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "excessive hours" functions primarily as a noun phrase, often acting as the object of a verb or the subject of a clause. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it describes a situation where someone works more hours than considered reasonable. Examples in Ludwig show it used to highlight labor violations, unsafe working conditions, and potential health risks.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

68%

Science

15%

Formal & Business

8%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

3%

Academia

3%

Reference

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "excessive hours" is a grammatically sound and frequently used expression that highlights situations where individuals work beyond reasonable limits. Ludwig AI confirms its common use and acceptability. As evidenced by the numerous examples, primarily from news and media sources, "excessive hours" serves to underscore concerns related to worker wellbeing, ethical labor practices, and potential health risks. When writing about work schedules, be mindful not to use "excessive hours" interchangeably with "overtime", and consider alternative phrasing options like "long working hours" or "grueling work schedule" to precisely convey the intended meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

long working hours

Focuses on the duration of work, implying it is longer than usual or desired.

overtime work

Specifically refers to hours worked beyond the standard or contractual limit, often with additional pay.

extended shifts

Highlights the length of a single work period, suggesting it is longer than a typical shift.

grueling work schedule

Emphasizes the demanding and exhausting nature of the work schedule.

unreasonable workload

Shifts the focus to the amount of work expected within a given timeframe, implying it's too much.

overwork

A more concise term indicating working too much or too hard.

exorbitant time commitment

Highlights the significant amount of time required for a task or job.

demanding schedule

Implies the schedule requires a lot of time and energy.

heavy workload

Focuses on the amount of work needing to be done.

round-the-clock work

Suggests continuous or near-continuous work, often implying minimal rest.

FAQs

How can I use "excessive hours" in a sentence?

You can use "excessive hours" to describe situations where someone is working more than a reasonable or legally permitted amount of time. For example: "The report highlighted the "excessive hours" worked by junior doctors."

What are some alternatives to saying "excessive hours"?

Depending on the context, you could use alternatives like "long working hours", "overtime work", or "extended shifts".

What is the difference between "excessive hours" and "long hours"?

"Long hours" simply refers to working for an extended period, while "excessive hours" implies that the length of work is unreasonable, unhealthy, or exploitative. The term "excessive hours" carries a more negative connotation.

Is it grammatically correct to say "excessive hours"?

Yes, "excessive hours" is a grammatically correct phrase. It is commonly used in both formal and informal contexts to describe working beyond reasonable time limits.