inordinately
Americanadverb
-
in a way or to a degree that goes beyond proper or reasonable limits; immoderately or excessively.
He was inordinately proud of his ability to read Latin.
If your teen is inordinately anxious about school and grades, this is the time to be watchful.
-
in a disordered or uncontrolled way.
All economists, I am advised, agree that the principle of competition operates inordinately in certain industries.
Etymology
Origin of inordinately
First recorded in 1425–75; inordinate ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mona Yacoubian, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Iran "is inordinately more complex than Venezuela," with more diffuse centers of power.
From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026
The inordinately high number of fatalities at the Hyundai property is an indication of a lax safety culture, said Ahmed Al-Bayati, founding director of the Construction Safety Research Center at Lawrence Technological University, in Michigan.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 12, 2025
South Korea has a notoriously high-pressure entertainment industry, with celebrities often held to inordinately high social standards and placed under extreme scrutiny.
From BBC • Nov. 27, 2024
And “Schindler’s List,” it’s worth acknowledging, is inordinately at times almost indecently entertaining.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2023
Easton Michaels, who wrote six novels, was an inordinately private person as a general rule.
From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
