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Glite Dictionary
pleonasm

pleonasm

9.9
A phrase that uses more words than needed
  • noun
  • /ˈpliːəˌnæzəm/
translation icon : pleonasmo
  • The trick is to establish significance while still remaining critically aloof, if not disinterested, in the object of study, not because the object is analogous to a specimen under a microscope, but to avoid predictability and redundancy, or pleonasm.

Examples

  • Describing a 'new innovation' is a pleonasm, as innovations are by definition new.

  • The phrase 'free gift' is a classic example of a pleonasm since a gift is inherently free.

  • "Free trade" is a pleonasm; "managed trade" is an oxymoron.

    Academic text (1993)

  • However, this would be a pleonasm since all higher functions are cerebral.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Also responsible for this copia verborum (plenitude of words) is the pleonasm - when two words are used that largely overlap in meaning: "true and lasting," "recognized and accepted."

    Academic text (1997)

  • He eliminates the gratuitous pleonasm by simply excising passages such as "I'll be damned, damned, damned" (392).

    Academic text (1990)

  • Using the term 'ATM machine' is redundant; the 'M' in ATM already stands for 'machine', making it a pleonasm.

Synonyms

verbiage
vspleonasm
11 8.1

Language that uses too many words and is hard to understand

is about extra wording that specifically duplicates the same idea
redundancy
vspleonasm
8 5.2

Unnecessary repetition that makes speech or writing longer

is the use of extra words that create that repetition or excess
tautology
vspleonasm
2 8.5

Words that repeat the same idea unnecessarily

is broader, covering any extra words that cause redundancy rather than only repeats
verbosity
vspleonasm
1 7.3

Using more words than needed when speaking or writing

is the specific case where extra words create needless repetition
wordiness
vspleonasm
1 4.8

Using more language than needed in writing or speech

focuses on extra wording that results specifically in repeated meaning
prolixity
vspleonasm
  • Formal
1 9.9

A habit of using too many words that makes people bored

is similar but highlights extra words that repeat the message
long-windedness
vspleonasm
1 7.5

Talking or writing with too many words makes people bored

is the long use of words specifically causing needless repetition
verbality
vspleonasm
9.5

Speech or writing that uses too many words

is the form of that excess which makes statements redundant
verboseness
vspleonasm
7.4

Using more words than needed so speech or writing is hard to follow

is the kind of wordiness that repeats ideas without adding meaning
verbalism
vspleonasm
9.1

An excess of words that do not add meaning

is that excess when it leads to needless repetition of meaning
talkiness
vspleonasm
6.8

Speaking or writing with more words than needed and making the meaning unclear

is that extra informal talk when it repeats or restates ideas
periphrasis
vspleonasm
  • Literature
9.9

Using more words than needed to say something in a roundabout way

is direct extra wording that makes the same idea repeated rather than merely roundabout

Antonyms

brevity
14 5.3

Using few words when speaking or writing

conciseness
1 5.5

Saying something clearly with few words

How Redundant

tautology
2 8.5
pleonasm
9.9
wordiness
1 4.8
conciseness
1 5.5

Surface Forms

pleonasm singular
pleonasms plural

Etymology

The word pleonasm comes from the Greek root pleon meaning 'more'. So a pleonasm is when someone uses 'more' words than are necessary, making the sentence longer than it needs to be.