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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Analysts project the state budget’s Special Transportation Fund — which is paid for chiefly with various fuel and sales tax receipts — will run up a $214 million or 9% surplus next fiscal year, leaving some to ask why the diesel tax is increasing at all.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
16 June 2026
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When the state's income tax refund fund carries a surplus of $150 million or more, money over that amount will be directed to pensions.—
Ben Szalinski,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Noun
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The three host nations of the World Cup – Canada, Mexico and the United States – are home to around 200,000 ultra-high net worth individuals, those sitting on fortunes in excess of $30 million.—
Stefan Szymanski,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
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Fox also has said the play’s politics are intentionally elusive, but its main target is identity-politics excesses.—
Frank DiGiacomo,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surplusage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surplusage. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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