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Prepositions after adjectives

Excessive in or excessive for?

Excessive in and excessive for are both used, but with different meanings and sentence structures.

Quick answer

How to use excessive with prepositions

Use excessive in to describe too much of something within an area or activity. Use excessive for when something is too much relative to a purpose, person, or situation.

The report is excessive in detail.
The price is excessive for a small apartment.
He spends excessive time in meetings.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
excessive in + noun

Showing excess within an area

Use excessive in to describe an overly strong quality or amount in something.

The essay was excessive in technical language.
2
excessive for + purpose/person

Comparing with a limit or expectation

Use excessive for when something is too much relative to what is normal or suitable.

The fee is excessive for students.
3
excessive for + noun phrase

Evaluating suitability

This structure often appears in reviews, rules, and complaints.

The workload is excessive for a one-week course.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
excessive in
The policy is excessive in scope.
containing too much within an area
excessive for
The noise level is excessive for a library.
too much for a situation or standard
excessive in detail
The instructions are excessive in detail.
having more detail than necessary
excessive for children
The film is excessive for children.
too intense or unsuitable for them

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using for instead of in for qualities

Use in when talking about excess within a feature or characteristic.

✕ The article is excessive for detail. ✓ The article is excessive in detail.

Using in for comparisons

Use for when comparing against a person, purpose, or situation.

✕ The charge is excessive in tourists. ✓ The charge is excessive for tourists.

Omitting the comparison idea

For usually implies a standard or expectation.

✓ The rent is excessive for this area.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The contract is excessive ___ length.
2. The price seems excessive ___ a basic service.
3. The manual is excessive ___ technical terms.

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Frequently asked questions

Can excessive be followed by in?

Yes. Excessive in is used for qualities, detail, scope, or similar areas.

When do we use excessive for?

Use excessive for when something is too much relative to a person, purpose, or standard.

Is excessive of correct?

Excessive of is not a standard modern pattern after excessive.

eager-for-to-in-about, on "early in", "early on" or "early for"? earnest in, with, on, for or at? easy for, on, in, to or with? "economical with" or "economical in"? "ecstatic about" or "ecstatic with"? "effective in", "effective at" or "effective for"? "efficient in" or "efficient at"? elderly in, with, at, of or as? elegant in, with, of, as or to? eligible for, to, in or under? "embarrassed by" or "embarrassed about"?

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