ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Overkill

/ˈəʊ.vəˌkɪl/ · noun

Meaning

(literally, military) A destructive capacity that exceeds that needed to destroy an enemy; especially with nuclear weapons..

Definitions by Sense

(literally, military) A destructive capacity that exceeds that needed to destroy an enemy; especially with nuclear weapons.
(literally) Destruction beyond what is necessary to kill, especially in murder.
(by extension) An unnecessary excess of whatever is needed to achieve a goal.
(manufacturing) An unnecessary excess of disposal because of too high criteria of inspection.
(transitive) To destroy something with more (nuclear) force than is required.
(manufacturing) To dispose of too many items because of too-high criteria of inspection.
To do something excessive to achieve a goal.

Example Sentences

[The] increase in nuclear missiles available to the West was operationally unnecessary and would only add to the existing nuclear overkill; mixed manning was a formula for military disaster; […]

Bodies that have been stabbed or shot multiple times—far beyond what was sufficient to kill the victim (overkill)— suggest that the victim and assailant knew each other, […]

For some killers with a great deal of love/hate for their victims, it [an edged weapon] is the perfect instrument for a maniacal overkill.

"Trans people generally don't get stabbed once; they get stabbed 20 times, shot, burned and thrown into a dumpster." […] Their killers, in displaying an especially virulent form of hatred, often went from murder to overkill, attempting to obliterate their victims, perhaps in an attempt to erase them completely, […]

24 hours of TV coverage of the US election verged on overkill.

Should I give you yet more homework, or would that be overkill?

This is a live concert album, a good choice because it allows for simpler instrumental backup and avoids the studio overkill that would be inappropriate for such a forthright album.

Word Forms

overkills
overkilling
overkilled

Antonyms for overkill

Related Words

When Should You Use Overkill?

Use overkill when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions

What does overkill mean?

Overkill means (literally, military) A destructive capacity that exceeds that needed to destroy an enemy; especially with nuclear weapons..

What is a synonym for overkill?

The closest synonym depends on the sentence and intended sense.

What is the opposite of overkill?

Possible antonyms include underkill.

How do you use overkill in a sentence?

[The] increase in nuclear missiles available to the West was operationally unnecessary and would only add to the existing nuclear overkill; mixed manning was a formula for military disaster; […]

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.

ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Looking up this word…

Checking saved dictionary data and trusted language sources. This will stop automatically if a source does not respond.

Definitions by Sense

(literally, military) A destructive capacity that exceeds that needed to destroy an enemy; especially with nuclear weapons.

(literally) Destruction beyond what is necessary to kill, especially in murder.

(by extension) An unnecessary excess of whatever is needed to achieve a goal.

(manufacturing) An unnecessary excess of disposal because of too high criteria of inspection.

(transitive) To destroy something with more (nuclear) force than is required.

(manufacturing) To dispose of too many items because of too-high criteria of inspection.

To do something excessive to achieve a goal.

Example Sentences

[The] increase in nuclear missiles available to the West was operationally unnecessary and would only add to the existing nuclear overkill; mixed manning was a formula for military disaster; […]

Bodies that have been stabbed or shot multiple times—far beyond what was sufficient to kill the victim (overkill)— suggest that the victim and assailant knew each other, […]

For some killers with a great deal of love/hate for their victims, it [an edged weapon] is the perfect instrument for a maniacal overkill.

"Trans people generally don't get stabbed once; they get stabbed 20 times, shot, burned and thrown into a dumpster." […] Their killers, in displaying an especially virulent form of hatred, often went from murder to overkill, attempting to obliterate their victims, perhaps in an attempt to erase them completely, […]

24 hours of TV coverage of the US election verged on overkill.

Should I give you yet more homework, or would that be overkill?

This is a live concert album, a good choice because it allows for simpler instrumental backup and avoids the studio overkill that would be inappropriate for such a forthright album.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does overkill mean?

Overkill means (literally, military) A destructive capacity that exceeds that needed to destroy an enemy; especially with nuclear weapons..

What is a synonym for overkill?

The closest synonym depends on the sentence and intended sense.

What is the opposite of overkill?

Possible antonyms include underkill.

How do you use overkill in a sentence?

[The] increase in nuclear missiles available to the West was operationally unnecessary and would only add to the existing nuclear overkill; mixed manning was a formula for military disaster; […]

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.