Meaning & use
Pleonastic
Last updated
Using more words than necessary to express an idea; characterized by redundant wording.
See it in a sentence
The phrase 'free gift' is a classic pleonastic expression, since gifts are free by definition.
Editors are trained to cut pleonastic phrases like 'unexpected surprise'.
A note on using this word
From 'pleonasm', a Greek-derived rhetorical term for the use of superfluous words, sometimes used deliberately for emphasis.
Words with a similar meaning
redundantrepetitive
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Words with an opposite meaning
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