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surplusage

noun

ˈsər-(ˌ)plə-sij How to pronounce surplusage (audio)
Definition of surplusagenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surplusage
  1. surplus
  2. excess
Noun
  • South Africa has seemingly overcome its electricity crisis, with the country’s power utility, Eskom, reporting a power surplus during the winter peak-demand season, but civil society groups are wary of the surplus power being sold to data centers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • But the study results overall indicate that wearables shouldn’t be the only way to track your calorie deficit or calorie surplus goal.
    — Michelle Marchante September 4, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of surplus
Noun
  • The whole thing was essentially an American Cadillac crossed with an Italian coachbuilt exotic, at a time when Detroit was already going completely bonkers with automotive excess.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Ancient critics could never quite agree on the direction of causality between Euripides’ formal excesses and the political decay of Athens around him — and Lichtenberg thinks that same ambiguity now surrounds AI.
    — Aris Alexander, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of excess

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surplusage
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Cite this Entry

“Surplusage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surplusage. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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