Overly

adj, adv

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Superficial; not thorough; careless, negligent, inattentive. obsolete

    "The curteous Citizen bad me to his feast, With hollow words, and ouerly request: Come, will ye dine with me this Holy day? I yeelded, tho he hop’d I would say Nay:"

  2. 2
    Having a sense of superiority, haughty. obsolete

    "Those that know no better, may rejoyce and exult in these worldly contentments; but those, who have had but a blink of the beauty of heaven, can look upon them no otherwise, than with an overly contemptuousnesse."

  3. 3
    Excessive; too great. obsolete

    "[…] there appears a very chilling want of open-heartedness on the part of Owen, produced perhaps by the somewhat overly and certainly most ungracious resentments of Baxter."

Adverb
  1. 1
    To an excessive degree. not-comparable, proscribed, sometimes

    "Parents can be overly protective of their children."

  2. 2
    To a high degree; very. negative, not-comparable, usually

    "I'm not overly enthusiastic about meeting him."

  3. 3
    Superficially. not-comparable, obsolete

    "1566, Thomas Blundeville, The Fower Chiefyst Offices Belongyng to Horsemanshippe, London, “The true Arte of Paring, and shooyng all maner of Houes together […] ,” Chapter 5, […] let him not touche the quarters nor the heeles at al, vnlesse it be to make the seat of the shoe playne, & let that be done so superficially or ouerly as maye be, so shall the houes remayne alwayes strong."

  4. 4
    Carelessly, without due attention. not-comparable, obsolete

    "[…] you shall finde this, that all remissenesse, when a man doth a thing remissely, and ouerly, and perfunctorily, it argues alway a diuided intention, it is an argument that the whole minde is not set on it, but that the intention is distracted, and bestowed on other things:"

  5. 5
    With a sense of superiority, haughtily. not-comparable, obsolete

    "The third [vice] is Arrogancie, and the fourth Pride, two vices neer a kinne, Cosen germans […] when men shall arrogate much unto themselves; looking overly and superciliously upon others."

Adverb
  1. 1
    to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From over + -ly (adverbial suffix).

Etymology 2

From over + -ly (adjectival suffix).

Next best steps

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: overly