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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John Kmiec, director of Tucson Water, said Tucson’s aggressive conservation programs have made that kind of surplus possible.—
Austin Corona,
AZCentral.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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The Royals currently have a surplus of starters returning next season.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The process could, in fact, help rectify that excess of grapes, causing supply to eventually even out with demand.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
8 Nov. 2025
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Unless the category could be brought under control, the excess threatened to self-propagate.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surplusage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surplusage. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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