surfeit 1 of 2

noun

ˈsər-fət How to pronounce surfeit (audio)
Definition of surfeitnext
as in surplus
the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed ended up with a surfeit of volunteers who simply got in each other's way

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

surfeit

2 of 2

verb

as in to glut
to fill with food to capacity having surfeited ourselves on raw oysters, we had to decline the rest of the restaurant's offerings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word surfeit different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of surfeit are cloy, glut, gorge, pall, sate, and satiate. While all these words mean "to fill to repletion," surfeit implies a nauseating repletion.

surfeited themselves with junk food

When could cloy be used to replace surfeit?

While in some cases nearly identical to surfeit, cloy stresses the disgust or boredom resulting from such surfeiting.

sentimental pictures that cloy after a while

In what contexts can glut take the place of surfeit?

While the synonyms glut and surfeit are close in meaning, glut implies excess in feeding or supplying.

a market glutted with diet books

Where would gorge be a reasonable alternative to surfeit?

Although the words gorge and surfeit have much in common, gorge suggests glutting to the point of bursting or choking.

gorged themselves with chocolate

When might pall be a better fit than surfeit?

The synonyms pall and surfeit are sometimes interchangeable, but pall emphasizes the loss of ability to stimulate interest or appetite.

a life of leisure eventually begins to pall

How do satiate and sate relate to one another, in the sense of surfeit?

Both satiate and sate may sometimes imply only complete satisfaction but more often suggest repletion that has destroyed interest or desire.

years of globe-trotting had satiated their interest in travel
readers were sated with sensationalistic stories

How is the word surfeit different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of surfeit are cloy, glut, gorge, pall, sate, and satiate. While all these words mean "to fill to repletion," surfeit implies a nauseating repletion.

surfeited themselves with junk food

When could cloy be used to replace surfeit?

While in some cases nearly identical to surfeit, cloy stresses the disgust or boredom resulting from such surfeiting.

sentimental pictures that cloy after a while

In what contexts can glut take the place of surfeit?

While the synonyms glut and surfeit are close in meaning, glut implies excess in feeding or supplying.

a market glutted with diet books

Where would gorge be a reasonable alternative to surfeit?

Although the words gorge and surfeit have much in common, gorge suggests glutting to the point of bursting or choking.

gorged themselves with chocolate

When might pall be a better fit than surfeit?

The synonyms pall and surfeit are sometimes interchangeable, but pall emphasizes the loss of ability to stimulate interest or appetite.

a life of leisure eventually begins to pall

How do satiate and sate relate to one another, in the sense of surfeit?

Both satiate and sate may sometimes imply only complete satisfaction but more often suggest repletion that has destroyed interest or desire.

years of globe-trotting had satiated their interest in travel
readers were sated with sensationalistic stories

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 surfeit
Noun
Drummer Stuart Springthorpe is the secret co-MVP of Watching, keeping its molasses-slow time and inserting infrequent but always impactful tom-heavy fills into the album’s surfeit of negative space. —Brad Sanders, Pitchfork, 17 Jan. 2026 As a businesswoman, a single mother and a highly sensitive human, Moore made it through life thanks to a surfeit of loving kindness. —Michelle Huneven, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
As a theater critic surfeited with plays, radio dramas worked best for me as an unplanned diversion in my car. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025 But the younger people making theater now are drawn to it now because they’ve been surfeited with digital culture. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2023 See All Example Sentences for surfeit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surfeit
  1. surplus
  2. glut
  3. excess
  4. gorge
  5. stuff
  6. sate
Noun
  • The film’s surplus of action and chase scenes follows the same rigid formula of swooping camera movements and game power-up deus ex machinas that no sequence ever proves particularly exciting.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The Bryant School is just one surplus building.
    — Thomas White, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
Definition of surplus
Verb
  • The waterway, a critical shipping route, has essentially been closed for the duration of the conflict, causing a supply glut in the oil market that has sent prices skyrocketing.
    — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026
  • His late 2025 goal glut with Leeds also came from a stream of strikes down the centre of the penalty area.
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of glut
Noun
  • Revelry Reformed Already in the Middle Ages, there existed conflict between those who partook in carnival’s excesses for a higher, spiritual purpose, and those who enjoyed themselves for enjoyment’s sake.
    — Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Pre-portioning baskets from the start, setting a one-treat-per-day rule after Easter morning and donating or freezing the excess are the strategies parents are actually using.
    — Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
Definition of excess
Verb
  • The Raiders gorged in a different way, blowing the center market out of the water with a massive, $27 million per year contract for Baltimore’s Tyler Linderbaum and rocketing toward the top of the league in money spent.
    — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
  • Once in Dun, Mathilda gorges herself on strange delicacies while assembling disparate pieces of Hermia.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
Definition of gorge
Verb
  • He was named the MaxPreps Colorado Player of the Year after consistently stuffing the stat sheet, affecting the game in every way while also playing dynamic defense.
    — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
  • At least 33 bodies — including children and dismembered remains stuffed in sacks — were unearthed from a mass grave in western Kenya on Thursday, raising questions about whether the corpses were secretly moved from a hospital morgue.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 29 Mar. 2026
Definition of stuff
Verb
  • The 2026 Alan Ritchson–starring Netflix movie War Machine, not to be confused with the 2017 Brad Pitt–starring Netflix movie War Machine, is sating a public appetite.
    — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
  • At one point, Roen said, officials even tried piling frozen beavers outside the wolves’ den to sate their hunger.
    — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 Feb. 2026
Definition of sate

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Surfeit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surfeit. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of surfeit for Spanish Speakers

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