ENGLISH
REFERENCE

overkill

n.
C1 Advanced US //ˈoʊvɝˌkɪɫ// UK //ˌəʊvəkˈɪl// overkill

n. a situation where you use more power or force than is actually needed. It is often used when someone does something in a way that is too much or unnecessary.

n. the use of excessive force, power, or resources to achieve a goal. Often implies a lack of restraint or a mismatch between the scale of the action and the requirement.


SIMPLE

Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut is a bit of overkill.

CONTEXTUAL

The security team's response to the minor alarm was seen as overkill by the staff.

COMPLEX

While the new software features are impressive, the level of detail provided in the manual is a bit of overkill for most casual users.

Origin

From over- + kill.

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