overcautiously means in an overcautious way. It carries an Arena rating of 1335, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, overcautiously ranks #3,575 of 17,052 for Most Satisfying to Say, #9,491 of 17,052 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #11,511 of 17,052 for Most Ponderous Words, #12,985 of 17,052 for Most Ingenious Words.
Why “overcautiously” is a great word
In an excessively or unduly cautious manner, to the point of hindering action. Formed from the English overcautious (from over- ("excessively") + cautious (from Latin cautus, "careful")) + -ly (adverb-forming suffix). First attested in the 19th century (1847). Unlike "prudently," which suggests a wise measure of care, or "recklessly," which denotes a dangerous deficit of it, overcautiously describes a caution that has curdled into paralysis. It is the hand withdrawn from the doorbell, the letter rewritten twelve times and abandoned, the traveler who, having mapped every contingency, watches the train depart—the particular sorrow of having mistaken the avoidance of error for the pursuit of living.
Etymology
From overcautious + -ly.
adv
- In an overcautious way.
Words closest in meaning
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