overbearing
adjective
over·bear·ing
ˌō-vər-ˈber-iŋ 
1
a
: tending to overwhelm : overpowering
had to deal with his overbearing mother
b
: decisively important : dominant
didn't think it was the overbearing consideration here—
J. S. Cooper
J. S. Cooper2
: harshly and haughtily arrogant
the mayor's overbearing manner of dealing with employees
Synonyms
Examples of overbearing in a Sentence
He had to deal with his overbearing mother.
Her husband's overbearing manner made her miserable.
Recent Examples on the Web
The play, theater’s most potent study of denial, is harnessed by the dominant role of the overbearing father, James Tyrone, whose presence within the wretched, wrecked household requires him to loom large even when offstage.
—David Benedict, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
On Thursday, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar raised a complaint frequently heard among Modi’s supporters: that the United States is moralizing, overbearing and prone to meddling.
—Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
The man seemed to be their coach, or their overbearing father, or both.
—Tyler Foggatt, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
In this tender, humorous Florida-set drama, Quinn runs away from her overbearing mother with the help of her reckless brother in hopes of achieving her dream of becoming a dancer.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024
The service was excellent and remained so throughout the meal with thoughtful suggestions, guidance and constant care that didn't feel overbearing.
—The Arizona Republic, 1 Feb. 2024
Following the death of her overbearing mother, a stop-motion animator (Aisling Franciosi) creates macabre puppets for a new movie about a scared girl being hunted by a dark figure and is driven mad when the creepy characters come to terrifying life.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
Baranski, now 71, played Bunny Caldwell, the overbearing mother of Blair's naïve Cecile, while Reid, now 48, had a small role as Marci Greenbaum, the daughter of Sebastian's therapist.
—Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024
Unfortunately, the presence of an overbearing and opinionated person may be throwing off your thought process.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Feb. 2024
David Benedict, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
On Thursday, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar raised a complaint frequently heard among Modi’s supporters: that the United States is moralizing, overbearing and prone to meddling.
—Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
The man seemed to be their coach, or their overbearing father, or both.
—Tyler Foggatt, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
In this tender, humorous Florida-set drama, Quinn runs away from her overbearing mother with the help of her reckless brother in hopes of achieving her dream of becoming a dancer.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024
The service was excellent and remained so throughout the meal with thoughtful suggestions, guidance and constant care that didn't feel overbearing.
—The Arizona Republic, 1 Feb. 2024
Following the death of her overbearing mother, a stop-motion animator (Aisling Franciosi) creates macabre puppets for a new movie about a scared girl being hunted by a dark figure and is driven mad when the creepy characters come to terrifying life.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
Baranski, now 71, played Bunny Caldwell, the overbearing mother of Blair's naïve Cecile, while Reid, now 48, had a small role as Marci Greenbaum, the daughter of Sebastian's therapist.
—Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024
Unfortunately, the presence of an overbearing and opinionated person may be throwing off your thought process.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overbearing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Dictionary Entries Near overbearing
Cite this Entry
“Overbearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overbearing. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
overbearing
adjective
over·bear·ing
-ˈba(ə)r-iŋ,
-ˈbe(ə)r-
overbearingly
adverb
More from Merriam-Webster on overbearing
Nglish: Translation of overbearing for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of overbearing for Arabic Speakers
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