as in surplus
the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed
a mall with a surplusage of stores all selling the same lines of clothing
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Recent Examples of surplusage
In everyday speech, in legal texts and even in translations of Genesis, one person’s surplusage may be another person’s way of dealing with inevitable trade-offs between clarity and concision.
—
Sam Bray, Washington Post, 25 June 2017
Sam Bray, Washington Post, 25 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surplusage
Noun
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Lesser and other of Lamont’s fellow Democrats in the General Assembly’s majority have recommended tapping state finances, which have achieved unprecedented surpluses for nearly a decade, to help these households buy groceries.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
2 June 2026
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The concept is the same – connecting shoppers with grocers who have surplus food nearing its best-by date – but the difference is shoppers choose specific food items offered up by the grocer in the app to pick up in the store.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Swimsuits for women my size are typically cumbersome, made with a confusing excess of fabric, and frumpy.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
29 May 2026
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The areas in red are indicative of temperatures well in excess of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) and include major European cities such as Madrid and Paris.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surplusage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surplusage. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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