What does excessive mean?
Word: Excessive
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Excessive means more than is needed, normal or reasonable.
Synonyms: extreme, undue, unreasonable
Antonyms: reasonable, limited
How do you spell excessive?
Syllables: ex - ces - sive
Tricky part: After ex comes a c, then a double s. Students often drop the c (exessive) or the second s (excesive).
Watch out for: exessive, excesive, exsessive
Memory tip: The word holds one c but two s's: think of a single cup with a pair of saucers.
Excessive in a sentence
Example 1: Excessive screen time can strain your eyes.
Example 2: The shopkeeper charged an excessive price for a simple umbrella during the rain.
Example 3: Coach asked us to avoid excessive running the day before the race.
Fun Fact
Excessive goes back to the Latin excedere, to go beyond, the same verb that gives English the word exceed.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word excessive as used in the sentence:
The neighbours complained that the noise from the wedding loudspeakers was excessive.
a) moderate
b) sudden
c) constant
d) distant
Show answer
a) moderate. Moderate means kept within sensible limits, the opposite of too much.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
exc_ssi_e
a) e, f
b) e, v
c) a, v
d) i, v
Show answer
b) e, v. The vowel after exc is e, as in except, and the ending is ive, as in active.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Doctors warn that vsiceexes use of earphones can harm your hearing.
a) extensive
b) expensive
c) excessive
d) exclusive
Show answer
c) excessive. Two s's and no n or l: that rules out expensive and extensive, which need an n, and exclusive, which needs an l, leaving excessive.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. adequite 2. occasionaly 3. excessive 4. abundent
a) present in large amounts
b) going beyond sensible limits
c) enough for what is needed
d) now and then, not often
Show answer
b) going beyond sensible limits. Look at the vowels: adequite has an i where it needs an a, and abundent an e where it needs an a; occasionaly is short of an l. Excessive is correct.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. For one evening, an excessive amount of homework would be ____.
a) one page
b) ten hours
c) a short poem
d) twenty minutes
Show answer
b) ten hours
2. Excessive heat in summer can lead to ____.
a) frostbite
b) heatstroke
c) icy roads
d) snowfall
Show answer
b) heatstroke
