overbroad
adjective
over·broad
ˌō-vər-ˈbrȯd 
: too widely applicable or applied : excessively broad
an overbroad interpretation of the statute
… a litigant challenging an overbroad law …—
Laurence H. Tribe
Laurence H. Tribe… was reckless in its assignment of unnecessary and overbroad surveillance powers.—The New York Times
The New York TimesBut he tends, at times, to draw overbroad generalizations from his personal experience.—Alexander Stille
Alexander StilleExamples of overbroad in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The company’s own research revealed its overbroad influence, too, Mehta noted.
—Ben Guarino, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2024
The group claimed the law would impact their livelihoods due to the law’s overbroad language restricting artistic performances, especially considering the group’s drag-centric themes.
—Angele Latham, USA TODAY, 19 July 2024
The judge concluded that the law is overbroad and overly restrictive.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 2 July 2024
Every court that considered a university speech code between 1989 and 1995 reached the same conclusion: The rules were vague, overbroad or discriminated against speakers because of their points of view and were thus unconstitutional.
—Charles Homans Gabra Zackman Anna Diamond Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for overbroad 
Ben Guarino, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2024
The group claimed the law would impact their livelihoods due to the law’s overbroad language restricting artistic performances, especially considering the group’s drag-centric themes.
—Angele Latham, USA TODAY, 19 July 2024
The judge concluded that the law is overbroad and overly restrictive.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 2 July 2024
Every court that considered a university speech code between 1989 and 1995 reached the same conclusion: The rules were vague, overbroad or discriminated against speakers because of their points of view and were thus unconstitutional.
—Charles Homans Gabra Zackman Anna Diamond Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for overbroad
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overbroad.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Overbroad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overbroad. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
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