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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If the conflict lasts a few months and energy and trade flows return to normal, Gulf states will once again run large surpluses.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
13 Apr. 2026
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And if white-collar work keeps compressing while companies pocket the surplus, the question that matters most isn’t how much work AI can do.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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How war became inevitable Yet Netanyahu shows no concern for how Israel’s excesses are fueling antisemitism in what has been Israel’s only dependable ally.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026
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McIlroy, in particular, was thought to have turned down an offer in excess of Jon Rahm’s reported £500 million contract.—
Will Barker,
TheWeek,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surplusage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surplusage. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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