overcaution
A person shows overcaution by wearing both a helmet and knee pads to read a book indoors.
Noun (uncountable): Excessive or undue caution; the quality or state of being overly careful, hesitant, or risk-averse to the point of hindering action or progress.
- (Excessive carefulness prevented decisive action.)
- (An overly cautious approach delayed progress.)
- (Being too cautious can lead to negative outcomes.)
"to err on the side of overcaution": to choose to be excessively careful rather than take any risk.
- The committee decided to err on the side of overcaution and cancel the event. (They chose extreme caution over potential danger.)
"a result of overcaution": an outcome stemming from being too cautious.
- The lack of innovation was a result of overcaution in the research department. (Excessive caution stifled creativity.)
Overcautious (adj): excessively careful; wary to an extreme degree.
- She is so overcautious that she checks the door lock three times before leaving. (Overly careful behaviour.)
Overcautiously (adv): in an excessively careful manner.
- He drove overcautiously, frustrating the drivers behind him. (Driving with extreme, unnecessary caution.)
- Excessive caution: caution that goes beyond what is necessary or reasonable.
- Overprudence: an excess of prudence or carefulness.
- Hypervigilance: an extreme state of alertness or caution (often used in psychological contexts).
Look before you leap: a proverb advising caution, but when taken to an extreme, it can lead to overcaution.
- He looked before he leaped so often that he never leaped at all — a classic case of overcaution. (Too much caution prevents action.)
Better safe than sorry: a saying advocating caution; overcaution is an exaggerated application of this principle.
- Her motto is "better safe than sorry," but her overcaution often delays decisions. (Excessive application of a cautious maxim.)