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overconscientious

overconscientious

9.3
Being too careful about doing the right thing or duties, often causing stress
  • adjective
  • /ˌoʊvərˌkɒnʃiˈɛnʃəs/
translation icon : excesivamente concienzudo
  • He is so overconscientious that he checks his work five times.

Examples

  • Being overconscientious can sometimes lead to unnecessary stress at work.

  • Her overconscientious approach meant she spent hours double-checking every detail.

  • Don't be overconscientious!

  • Her overconscientious nature made her double-check every report.

  • His overconscientious nature made him double-check every detail of the report before submitting it.

  • She is often seen as overconscientious because she spends too much time ensuring everything is perfect.

  • Being overconscientious can lead to unnecessary stress, as he feels compelled to meet every small expectation.

Synonyms

overzealous
vsoverconscientious
32 7.7

Being too eager and causing problems

is driven by careful duty and concern for right action
too-careful
vsoverconscientious
31 6.6

Giving too much attention to risk and missing good chances

focuses more on moral correctness and duty than on caution
finicky
vsoverconscientious
12 7.1

Hard to please and careful about small details

is motivated by wanting to be morally correct rather than picky taste
fastidious
vsoverconscientious
8 8.0

Very careful about small details and being clean, often hard to please

leans more toward duty and moral correctness than neatness
scrupulous
vsoverconscientious
3 7.2

Careful to do things correctly and notice small details

adds a moral duty motive to that careful correctness
overcautious
vsoverconscientious
3 6.1

Being more careful than needed because you are afraid of risk

is guided by obligation to do right rather than fear of harm
punctilious
vsoverconscientious
  • Formal
1 8.9

Being very careful about small details and correct behaviour

prioritizes obligation to do right over mere precision
overscrupulous
vsoverconscientious
8.2

Being too careful about following rules or avoiding mistakes

emphasizes doing what is morally right and fulfilling duty
overdeliberate
vsoverconscientious
8.6

Too careful and slow in a way that seems not natural

is driven by a sense of duty rather than slow intent
overcareful
vsoverconscientious
6.1

Too cautious so someone avoids normal activities

is specifically motivated by wanting to do what is right
finickety about
vsoverconscientious
9.1

Being very picky about small details when choosing or arranging things

is broader, centering on duty and doing what is right
overly fussy
vsoverconscientious
6.1

Too worried about small details and hard to please

places obligation to do right above concern for tiny details

Antonyms

46 4.4

Not interested or showing no strong feeling about something

14 1.0

A lack of attention that causes mistakes or harm

How Conscientious

overconscientious
9.3
scrupulous
4 7.2
meticulous
58 8.6
conscientious
49 5.9
dutiful
16 3.9
careful
1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

overconscientious = conscientious (transparent) = over + conscientious

The meaning is directly 'excessively' + 'conscientious'; 'over-' as an intensifying prefix is productive and the base adjective is recognizable to learners.

Etymology

The word overconscientious combines over- ('too much') and conscientious, from conscience meaning 'a sense of right and wrong'. So, overconscientious describes someone who is 'too careful' to do what is right and may check things more than needed.