overly great

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "overly great" is not commonly used in written English and may sound awkward to some readers.
It can be used to emphasize that something is excessively or extremely great, but it may not be the best choice of words in most contexts. Example: "The response to the new product launch was overly great, exceeding all our expectations."

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Benefit-risk evaluation has, he said, gone out of balance, with "possible risk" becoming an overly great concern.

Diabetes Care

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

A 1-month recall is considered sufficient to be likely to capture events and does not overly burden respondents with too great a frequency of question-asking (as a daily diary might).

Arthritis Research and Therapy

We compared relative ranks of enrichments, as the binomial-based test implemented in GREAT has overly significant P-values (inflated type I error rate).

Bioinformatics

In the case of overly high stiffness, a greater effort is required from the agonist muscle to stretch a stiff antagonist, which leads to an inefficient economy of movement (see Additional file 1, relationship of the displacement oscillation and oscillation velocity in relation to the oscillation acceleration).

Sports Medicine - Open

"You probably don't go wrong," he said, "by looking at some of the largest companies that have dominant positions within their sectors and have experienced management teams that have been through the up cycle and down cycle and they don't get overly exuberant when things go great or overconcerned when going down".

The New York Times

Not overly oaked, it's a great basic to have on hand.

Los Angeles Times

But just as well, beware of overly priced knives that claim great quality and craftsmanship.

WikiHow

The authors considered adaptation of greater than 0.1°C/decade overly optimistic, since any long-term adaptation of corals to temperature stress mortality has yet to be observed [43], [44].

Plosone

"He smoked cigars, ordered in from great restaurants and took trips in overly fast, overly dangerous motorcycles or cars.

The New York Times - Style

Then again, many great films started with overly long, even unfinished, scripts.

The New York Times - Magazine

Though the group may have got overly self-important, they still enjoy great respect in many quarters (not least abroad) for their brains and patriotism.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "overly great" when you want to emphasize that something exceeds appropriate or expected levels of greatness. However, consider whether more common alternatives like "excessively good" or "unduly impressive" might sound more natural.

Common error

Avoid using "overly great" in formal or academic writing where precision and conciseness are valued. Opt for more established and nuanced expressions like "exceptionally significant" or "remarkably effective" depending on the specific context.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "overly great" functions as an intensifier followed by an adjective. The adverb "overly" modifies the adjective "great", indicating a degree of greatness that is excessive or beyond what is expected or appropriate. As seen in Ludwig, it is not commonly used, meaning that better alternatives could often be used instead.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Wiki

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Social Media

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "overly great" is used to describe something that exceeds expected levels of greatness. While grammatically acceptable, it is not a very common phrase and, according to Ludwig, may sound awkward to some. More frequent alternatives like "excessively good" or "unduly impressive" are often preferred. Its usage spans various contexts, including news, science, and general writing, but is less common in formal or academic settings. In essence, "overly great" serves to emphasize excess, though it may be wise to consider more polished alternatives for clearer and more impactful communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

excessively good

Replaces "overly" with "excessively", maintaining a similar meaning of exceeding a reasonable degree of goodness.

unduly impressive

Substitutes "great" with "impressive" and "overly" with "unduly", conveying a similar sense of something being inappropriately or excessively remarkable.

inordinately wonderful

Uses "inordinately" and "wonderful" to suggest an excessive degree of positive quality, where "inordinately" implies something beyond what is normal or reasonable.

disproportionately excellent

Emphasizes that the excellence is out of proportion or imbalanced in some way, highlighting an excessive degree of quality.

exaggeratedly superb

Highlights an amplified or overstated sense of being superb, implying that the level of greatness is being artificially inflated.

immoderately fantastic

Implies that the fantastic nature of something is beyond reasonable bounds, suggesting a lack of moderation.

unjustifiably remarkable

Suggests that the remarkable nature is not warranted or justified, implying an inappropriate level of greatness.

gratuitously outstanding

Indicates that the outstanding quality is unnecessary or uncalled for, implying an excessive or excessive level of greatness.

unnecessarily exceptional

Highlights that the exceptional nature is not needed or required, suggesting an over-the-top or excessive level of greatness.

needlessly superior

Implies that the superior quality is not warranted or necessary, suggesting an excessive or overdone level of greatness.

FAQs

How can I use "overly great" in a sentence?

You can use "overly great" to describe something that exceeds the expected level of greatness. For example: "The hype surrounding the movie was "overly great", leading to disappointment when it didn't meet expectations."

What are some alternatives to "overly great"?

Alternatives include "excessively good", "unduly impressive", or "inordinately wonderful". The best choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it better to say "too great" or "overly great"?

"Too great" generally implies that something is excessively large or significant to the point of being problematic. "Overly great" suggests that something exceeds expectations of greatness. The choice depends on the intended meaning; "too great" emphasizes excess causing a problem, while "overly great" emphasizes unexpected or perhaps unwarranted excellence.

What's the difference between "overly great" and "very great"?

"Very great" is a straightforward intensifier, simply indicating a high degree of greatness. "Overly great" implies that the degree of greatness is excessive or perhaps inappropriate for the context. The phrase "very great" is more neutral, while "overly great" carries a subtle implication of being too much.