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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Trade deficits and foreign investment surplus show voluntary market transactions from which each party expects to benefit, or the transactions would not occur.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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This spike, a bit higher than Swanson expected, is the result of a global surplus fading and import levels returning to normal.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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While plenty of flashy tropical cocktails anchor the menu, Sumrall’s favorite libation leans more into 1920s excess.—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
10 Feb. 2026
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Mountainhead is one of HBO’s best original films and comes courtesy of writer-director Jesse Armstrong, one of the premier satirists of our age, having lampooned the world of media excess during Succession’s four seasons.—
Ilana Gordon,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surplusage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surplusage. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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