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.
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Sam Bray, Washington Post, 25 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surplusage
Noun
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As providers warn of layoffs and a system nearing collapse, the contrast between the agency's austerity measures and the state's multi-billion dollar surplus remains a central point of contention for advocates and legislators alike.—
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But in the years since, Sacramento has failed to act to address the massive debt incurred during the pandemic, despite having a $100 billion surplus in recent years.—
Noun
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The process could, in fact, help rectify that excess of grapes, causing supply to eventually even out with demand.—
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Unless the category could be brought under control, the excess threatened to self-propagate.—
Cite this Entry
“Surplusage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surplusage. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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