surfeit
surfeit Lexical Profile
surfeit Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An excessive amount of something; an overabundance or oversupply.
"A surfeit of applicants for the fellowship made the selection committee's task unusually difficult."
Disgust, discomfort, or satiety caused by overindulgence in food, drink, or an activity.
"After weeks of lavish holiday banquets, the guests suffered a collective surfeit of rich pastries."
• verb
To cause someone to desire no more of something as a result of having consumed or done it to excess.
"The continuous stream of sensationalist news coverage eventually surfeited the public."
Word Nuance & Usage
Unlike 'surplus', which is a neutral or positive term for an extra supply, 'surfeit' carries a negative connotation of overindulgence, cloying excess, or having so much of something that it causes disgust or weariness.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Anglo-French 'surfeit', the past participle of Old French 'sorfaire' ('to overdo'), formed from 'sur-' ('over') and 'faire' ('to do or make', from Latin 'facere').