surfeit 1 of 2

Definition of surfeitnext

surfeit

2 of 2

verb

as in to glut
to fill with food to capacity having surfeited ourselves on raw oysters, we had to decline the rest of the restaurant's offerings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word surfeit different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of surfeit are cloy, glut, gorge, pall, sate, and satiate. While all these words mean "to fill to repletion," surfeit implies a nauseating repletion.

surfeited themselves with junk food

When could cloy be used to replace surfeit?

While in some cases nearly identical to surfeit, cloy stresses the disgust or boredom resulting from such surfeiting.

sentimental pictures that cloy after a while

In what contexts can glut take the place of surfeit?

While the synonyms glut and surfeit are close in meaning, glut implies excess in feeding or supplying.

a market glutted with diet books

Where would gorge be a reasonable alternative to surfeit?

Although the words gorge and surfeit have much in common, gorge suggests glutting to the point of bursting or choking.

gorged themselves with chocolate

When might pall be a better fit than surfeit?

The synonyms pall and surfeit are sometimes interchangeable, but pall emphasizes the loss of ability to stimulate interest or appetite.

a life of leisure eventually begins to pall

How do satiate and sate relate to one another, in the sense of surfeit?

Both satiate and sate may sometimes imply only complete satisfaction but more often suggest repletion that has destroyed interest or desire.

years of globe-trotting had satiated their interest in travel
readers were sated with sensationalistic stories

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of surfeit
Noun
As the Seahawks hoisted the trophy on the field, amid the gigantism and confetti cannons and surfeit on display, a sense of perspective seemed to have been restored. Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026 The galaxy sports not only a bright newborn jet but also a surrounding surfeit of older material blasted out by past AGN episodes. K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 24 Jan. 2026
Verb
Here are his first eight lines, in English and Hungarian (thanks to Ádám Nádasdy): Orsino If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it, that surfeiting The appetite may sicken and so die. Literary Hub, 22 Apr. 2026 As a theater critic surfeited with plays, radio dramas worked best for me as an unplanned diversion in my car. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for surfeit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surfeit
Noun
  • Korea sits at the center of the global HBM (high bandwidth memory) and DRAM (dynamic-random access memory) supply chain, not to mention macro tailwinds including a weaker USD, an accommodative Bank or Korea and a record current account surplus.
    Todd Gordon, CNBC, 12 May 2026
  • Chinn and Ito describe a more rotating pattern, with large surpluses appearing at different times in China, Germany, oil exporters, Japan, and other economies.
    James Broughel, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
Verb
  • It’s glutted with supporting characters, and the plot still eddies through a series of clearly episodic incidents.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The waterway, a critical shipping route, has essentially been closed for the duration of the conflict, causing a supply glut in the oil market that has sent prices skyrocketing.
    Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Yet the outcome of the big bang was somehow a tiny sliver more matter than antimatter—all the galaxies, dust and living things in the universe belong to this minuscule excess.
    Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 May 2026
  • Delano Miami Beach, which was built in 1947 and became a wildly popular hot spot for celebrities and a symbol of Miami Beach excess after a 1995 renovation, has reopened after six years.
    Connie Ogle May 8, Miami Herald, 8 May 2026
Verb
  • The Raiders gorged in a different way, blowing the center market out of the water with a massive, $27 million per year contract for Baltimore’s Tyler Linderbaum and rocketing toward the top of the league in money spent.
    Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
  • Once in Dun, Mathilda gorges herself on strange delicacies while assembling disparate pieces of Hermia.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Plant life may manifest at your table scorched, deep-fried, pickled, smoked, stuffed, smashed or otherwise pushed to extremes.
    Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
  • Marcelin also stuffed part of the victim’s left leg into his electric wheelchair and went shopping before disposing of the limb.
    Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 8 May 2026
Verb
  • Those viewers were probably not sated by the FCC’s February review of the performance, which found that the songs’ lyrics had been appropriately altered for the broadcast.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
  • Sources have told Deadline that Fox was originally unhappy with the creative on Season 14 of the show, but collaborated with the creative team and was ultimately sated.
    Peter White, Deadline, 8 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Surfeit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surfeit. Accessed 16 May. 2026.

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