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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Today, the company focuses on securing land with surplus electricity — renewable, solar, wind, nuclear, grid or off-grid — and reliable internet connectivity.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
20 June 2025
-
At the end of the Cryogenian, when the ice melted and the frozen continents thawed, a surplus of nutrient-rich meltwater flooded Earth.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Noun
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The lavish display of money and excess has provoked backlash from local residents and environmental demonstrators who protest the use of the Unesco world heritage site as a playground for the super-rich.—
Karen Gilchrist,
CNBC,
27 June 2025
-
An excess of Helena, which no one, least of all me, wanted.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surplusage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surplusage. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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