overkill

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“
The focus on this particular 'side-of-the-building' combat didn't seem to be overkill, which is a good thing considering we think too much time spent looking at the world upside-down could be detrimental to our brains and our short tempers.

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Definitions (6)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun Destructive nuclear capacity exceeding the amount needed to destroy an enemy.
  2. noun Excessive killing.
  3. noun An excess of what is necessary or appropriate for a particular end: "government overkill in dealing with dissent” (Jesse Unruh).
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Examples (50)

  • Hyperbolic overkill is a way of taking exaggeration to the absolute ultimate limit, just for the fun of it. —  Bruce McCall's faux nostalgia
  • OLSSON: I'm afraid you would have to err on the side of overkill, as you call it. —  There are times when the cure is worse than the disease
  • To have both would be overkill, and the universe is conservative. —  The Chronicles Of Pern: First Fall
  • These rounds are rather overkill, the phrase "elephant gun" has been used about the .458 Winchester, but if you're going to go, do it with a bang. —  The methods-file (unverified)
  • For short messages, it's a bit of overkill -- just type slowly and carefully in the vertical built-in mode. —  TechNewsWorld
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