[1735–45; over- + anxious]This word is first recorded in the period 1735–45. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: boxer, cutoff, editorial, injector, tandemover- is a prefixal use of over, occurring in various senses in compounds (overboard; overcoat; overhang; overlap; overlord; overrun; overthrow), and especially employed, with the sense of “over the limit,” “to excess,” “toomuch,” “too,” to form verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and nouns (overact; overcapitalize; overcrowd; overfull; overmuch; oversupply; overweight), and many others, mostly self-explanatory: a hyphen, which is commonly absent fromold or well-established formations, is sometimes used in new coinages or in any wordswhose component parts it may be desirable to set off distinctly
Examples of 'overanxious' in a sentence
overanxious
And she was overanxious: for the week before she did not like being left alone.
Doris Lessing ON CATS (2002)
But we must not get overanxious and not perform on the day.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
If anything, he sounds a little overanxious.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
You want to do well and sometimes you're overanxious, you overdo things.
Times, Sunday Times (2018)
Your phobia could date from potty-training days, overanxious parents, an embarrassing incident later in life - all sorts.
The Sun (2014)
It's often fragile, the way she talks, but elegant, with big eyes a window into an overanxious brain.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Fighting over food is rarely about the food itself; it's a power game with an overanxious parent.