Synonyms of surplus

surplus 1 of 2

adjective

as in excess

being over what is needed

surplus stock gets shipped to the warehouse and is eventually sold at auction

Synonyms & Similar Words

• excess
• extra
• spare
• additional
• unwanted
• superfluous
• redundant
• unnecessary
• supernumerary
• supplementary
• supererogatory
• ample
• supplemental
• accessory
• unneeded
• plentiful
• bountiful
• nonessential
• needless
• abundant
• extraneous
• unessential
• dispensable
• copious
• gratuitous
• plenteous
• de trop
• uncalled-for

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• insufficient
• scarce
• inadequate
• short
• deficient
• meager
• poor
• scanty
• scant
• sparse
• skimpy
• shortish

surplus

2 of 2

noun

ˈsər-(ˌ)pləs 

as in overflow

the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed

we have a surplus of plastic knives, but we're short on forks and spoons for the picnic

Synonyms & Similar Words

• excess
• overflow
• abundance
• sufficiency
• overabundance
• surplusage
• oversupply
• surfeit
• overage
• superabundance
• overplus
• bounty
• superfluity
• fat
• plethora
• plenty
• plus
• redundancy
• bellyful
• overkill
• overmuch
• overproduction
• profusion
• plentitude
• overstock

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• deficit
• deficiency
• insufficiency
• lack
• scarcity
• undersupply
• dearth
• want

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of surplus

Adjective

Botswana secured $100 million to build its first large-scale solar plant that will sell power to a regional market, as investors bet that rising electricity demand will offer lucrative returns on surplus power. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 22 June 2026

As of May 31, surplus lines carriers covered 778,000 policies in Florida, including 88,314 homeowner policies and 147,501 commercial property policies, according to the Florida Surplus Lines Service Office. — Gray Rohrer, Miami Herald, 17 June 2026

Noun

Despite spending about $90,000 on each of its 2,100 students, the foundation still runs an annual surplus of more than $850 million. — Thomas Adam, The Conversation, 16 July 2026

According to experts, wild brown trout are known to congregate around salmon pens to feed on surplus feed that falls through the net cages, otherwise known as cage-grazing. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026