surplusage

noun

ˈsər-(ˌ)plə-sij How to pronounce surplusage (audio)
Definition of surplusagenext
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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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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surplusage
  1. surplus
  2. excess
Noun
  • But the governor also has compromised with his fellow Democrats in the legislature’s majority to approve several temporary assistance programs using the special state surplus fund.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Although that surplus depended on the district executing an additional $30 million in budget cuts this fall, officials added.
    — Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of surplus
Noun
  • The spectacle, scale and wonderfully unapologetic excess are precisely why millions keep returning.
    — Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Is there still unfinished business in rationalizing the excesses of the semiconductor surge, which formed the core of the momentum-stock frenzy?
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of excess

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surplus
surplusage
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Cite this Entry

“Surplusage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surplusage. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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