When you are overprotective, you worry so much about keeping someone safe that you take away their freedom. A parent will not let a child walk to school, try a new sport, or make a small mistake. Partners and friends can be like this too. It is almost never praise. People who use it are usually saying the care has gone too far and now it controls the other person. The feeling behind it is fear, not dislike. Though actually, the overprotective person often believes they are only being careful and loving. You hear it a lot about parents and children, and a little about pets and patients. Protective is warm; overprotective is protective with a lock on the door.