surfeit 1 of 2

surfeit

2 of 2

verb

as in to glut
to fill with food to capacity having surfeited ourselves on raw oysters, we had to decline the rest of the restaurant's offerings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word surfeit different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of surfeit are cloy, glut, gorge, pall, sate, and satiate. While all these words mean "to fill to repletion," surfeit implies a nauseating repletion.

surfeited themselves with junk food

When could cloy be used to replace surfeit?

While in some cases nearly identical to surfeit, cloy stresses the disgust or boredom resulting from such surfeiting.

sentimental pictures that cloy after a while

In what contexts can glut take the place of surfeit?

While the synonyms glut and surfeit are close in meaning, glut implies excess in feeding or supplying.

a market glutted with diet books

Where would gorge be a reasonable alternative to surfeit?

Although the words gorge and surfeit have much in common, gorge suggests glutting to the point of bursting or choking.

gorged themselves with chocolate

When might pall be a better fit than surfeit?

The synonyms pall and surfeit are sometimes interchangeable, but pall emphasizes the loss of ability to stimulate interest or appetite.

a life of leisure eventually begins to pall

How do satiate and sate relate to one another, in the sense of surfeit?

Both satiate and sate may sometimes imply only complete satisfaction but more often suggest repletion that has destroyed interest or desire.

years of globe-trotting had satiated their interest in travel
readers were sated with sensationalistic stories

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of surfeit
Noun
The surfeit of coverage tends to flatten out the differences in each case, conflating omissions of citations with wholesale lifts of phrasing and ideas. Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2024 Here, the biggest surprises often come from the reverse: how much can be accessed, the surfeit of landscape open to the player. Gabriel Winslow-Yost, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
Verb
But surfeited with at-home entertainment options, former subscribers are preferring the flexibility of single-ticket sales. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2023 Theatergoers, surfeited with entertainment options at home, have been less inclined to commit to season subscriptions, placing more pressure on programming to come up with sure-fire hits. Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2023 See all Example Sentences for surfeit 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surfeit
Noun
  • The surplus is from the last fiscal year, which ended in June.
    Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 18 Nov. 2024
  • The budget contained £40 billion ($52 billion) worth of tax rises to plug a hole in the public finances — with Reeves committing to move toward a day-to-day spending surplus — and to allow for greater investment in public services.
    Jenni Reid, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • As Israel gluts the present with death and destruction, the future perfect has become a means of stirring timid Americans out of indifference and into something like sympathy for Palestinian lives.
    Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
  • There are small evolutions of technology and cultural attitudes, but in a TV landscape glutted by dystopias, having any optimism about life 30-ish years in the future borders on revolutionary.
    Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
  • The Trust makes monthly distributions to the holders of Units of the excess of the preceding month’s royalty income received over expenses incurred.
    Quartz Bot, Quartz, 12 Nov. 2024
  • Fred is not responsible for repaying the $400 excess from the FSA.
    Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • Jake Paul is an emblem of a generation starving for purpose while gorging on spectacle.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024
  • And lots of fright fans don’t limit their horror entertainment to spooky season, gorging horror movies, shows and books all year long.
    Sarah Kollat, The Conversation, 18 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • The massive main compartment flays open completely near the back panel for easy packing and unpacking, with several other zippered access points for stuffing or pulling layers out on-the-go.
    The Editors, Outside Online, 18 Nov. 2024
  • On an afternoon when sophomore Nunu Agara stuffed the box score, compiling 16 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists, Stanford easily handled Gonzaga, the preseason favorite to win the West Coast Conference.
    Justice delos Santos, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • He is sated, and out to quit and take up golf or bowling.
    Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2024
  • There were certainly dream machines to sate every car cognoscente’s appetite.
    Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2024

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Thesaurus Entries Near surfeit

Cite this Entry

“Surfeit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surfeit. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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