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pleonasm

[ plee-uh-naz-uhm ]
/ ˈpli əˌnæz əm /
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See synonyms for: pleonasm / pleonastic on Thesaurus.com

noun
the use of more words than are necessary to express an idea; redundancy.
an instance of this, as free gift or true fact.
a redundant word or expression.
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Origin of pleonasm

First recorded in 1580–90; from Late Latin pleonasmus, from Greek pleonasmós “redundancy, surplus,” derivative of pleonázein “to be or have more than enough,” itself derivative of pleíōn “more”; see pleo-

OTHER WORDS FROM pleonasm

ple·o·nas·tic, adjectiveple·o·nas·ti·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pleonasm in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pleonasm

pleonasm
/ (ˈpliːəˌnæzəm) /

noun rhetoric
the use of more words than necessary or an instance of this, such as a tiny little child
a word or phrase that is superfluous

Derived forms of pleonasm

pleonastic, adjectivepleonastically, adverb

Word Origin for pleonasm

C16: from Latin pleonasmus, from Greek pleonasmos excess, from pleonazein to be redundant
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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