excess

(ĭk-sĕs', ĕk'sĕs')
n.

1. The state of exceeding what is normal or sufficient: rains that filled the reservoirs to excess.
2. An amount or quantity beyond what is normal or sufficient; a surplus.
3. The amount or degree by which one quantity exceeds another: Profit is the excess of sales over costs.
4. Intemperance; overindulgence: drank to excess.
5. A behavior or an action that exceeds proper or lawful bounds: tried to avoid engaging in emotional excesses such as hysteria and fits of temper.

adj.
Being more than is usual, required, or permitted: skimming off the excess fat. See synonyms at superfluous.

tr.v., -cessed, -cess·ing, -cess·es.
To eliminate the job or position of.

idiom:

in excess of

1. Greater than; more than: unit sales in excess of 20 million.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin excessus, past participle of excēdere, to exceed. See exceed.]

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noun

1. A condition of going or being beyond what is needed, desired, or appropriate: embarrassment, excessiveness, exorbitance, extravagance, extravagancy, extravagantness, overabundance, plethora, superabundance, superfluity, superfluousness, surfeit. See excess/insufficiency/enough.
2. An amount or quantity beyond what is needed, desired, or appropriate: fat, glut, overage, overflow, overmuch, overrun, overstock, oversupply, superfluity, surplus, surplusage. See excess/insufficiency/enough.
3. Immoderate indulgence, as in food or drink: intemperance, overindulgence, surfeit. See excess/insufficiency/enough.

adjective

Being more than is needed, desired, or appropriate: de trop, extra, spare, supererogatory, superfluous, supernumerary, surplus. See excess/insufficiency/enough.

n

Definition: overabundance of something
Antonyms: dearth, deficiency, insufficiency, lack, need, poverty, shortcoming, want

n

Definition: overindulgence in personal desires
Antonyms: deprivation, economy, frugality, moderation, privation

A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce

n.

In morals, an indulgence that enforces by appropriate penalties the law of moderation.

    Hail, high Excess -- especially in wine,
        To thee in worship do I bend the knee
        Who preach abstemiousness unto me --
    My skull thy pulpit, as my paunch thy shrine.
    Precept on precept, aye, and line on line,
        Could ne'er persuade so sweetly to agree
        With reason as thy touch, exact and free,
    Upon my forehead and along my spine.
    At thy command eschewing pleasure's cup,
        With the hot grape I warm no more my wit;
        When on thy stool of penitence I sit
    I'm quite converted, for I can't get up.
    Ungrateful he who afterward would falter
    To make new sacrifices at thine altar!

---

IN BRIEF: The amount that is larger or more than is needed.

As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand. — Josh Billings (1856-1950).

Tutor's tip: If you have "access," you are able to gain entry. If you have "excess," you have too much of something.

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Quotes:

"Americans are overreaching; overreaching is the most admirable and most American of the many American excesses." - George F. Will

"Nothing in excess." - Source Unknown

"I hold this as a rule of life: Too much of anything is bad." - Terence

"Ours is a culture based on excess, on overproduction; the result is a steady loss of sharpness in our sensory experience. All the conditions of modern life -- its material plenitude, its sheer crowdedness -- conjoin to dull our sensory faculties." - Susan Sontag

"Excess generally causes reaction, and produces a change in the opposite direction, whether it be in the seasons, or in individuals, or in governments." - Plato

"Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit." - W. Somerset Maugham

See more famous quotes about Excess

verb trans.
verb trans., US, euphemistic

To declare to be in excess of requirements, make redundant; also with out. (1976 —) .
New York Times Assistant principals, who are removed, or 'excessed',...ostensibly because of declining enrollment (1980).

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n

More than is necessary, useful, or specified.

See words rhyming with "excess."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Excess.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - overdrivelse, overvægt, overskud, umådeholdenhed, overflod, selvrisiko
adj. - overskydende, ekstra-, over-, mer-
v. tr. - udrydde, overgribe

idioms:

• excess baggage    overvægtig bagage
• excess luggage    overvægtig bagage

Nederlands (Dutch)
overschot, buitensporigheid, uitspatting, exces, buitensporig, banen schrappen

Français (French)
n. - excès, luxe, surabondance, (GB) (Assur) franchise, débauche, abus, cruauté, écart
adj. - excédentaire
v. tr. - licencier (pour raisons économiques)

idioms:

• excess baggage    excédent de bagages
• excess luggage    excédent de bagages

Deutsch (German)
n. - Überschuß, Übermaß
adj. - überschüssig, Über...
v. - entlassen, versetzen

idioms:

• excess baggage    Übergewicht (bei Gepäck)
• excess luggage    Übergewicht (bei Gepäck)

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - υπερβολή, υπέρβαση ή κατάχρηση, πληθώρα, πλεόνασμα, περίσσεια/-ευμα
adj. - υπερβολικός, πλεονάζων, υπερβάλλων, περίσσιος, παραπανίσιος

idioms:

• excess baggage    υπέρβαρες αποσκευές
• excess luggage    υπέρβαρες αποσκευές

Italiano (Italian)
eccedenza, eccesso

idioms:

• excess baggage/luggage    sovrappeso, eccedenza bagaglio

Português (Portuguese)
n. - excesso (m)
adj. - excessivo

idioms:

• excess baggage/luggage    excesso (m) de bagagem

Русский (Russian)
избыток, чрезмерность, превышение, неумеренность

idioms:

• excess baggage/luggage    лишний вес багажа, препятствие

Español (Spanish)
n. - excedente, exceso, extravagancia, sobrante
adj. - excesivo, sobrante, suplemental, de recargo
v. tr. - pagar, exigir, cobrar un suplemento por exceso de peso

idioms:

• excess baggage    exceso de equipaje
• excess luggage    exceso de equipaje

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - omåttlighet, överdrift
adj. - överskridande

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
过度, 超过, 剩于, 过度的, 额外的, 对...暂不聘任

idioms:

• excess baggage    超重行李
• excess luggage    超重行李, 超件行李

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 過度, 超過, 剩於
adj. - 過度的, 額外的
v. tr. - 對...暫不聘任

idioms:

• excess baggage    超重行李
• excess luggage    超重行李, 超件行李

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 과잉, 초과, 월권
adj. - 여분의
v. tr. - 직무 정지하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 超過, 超過量, 過度, 不節制, 行きすぎた行為
adj. - 超過の

idioms:

• excess baggage/luggage    制限超過手荷物, 余計なもの

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) زيادة, إفراط (صفه) مفرط, زائد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮עודף, הפרזה‬
adj. - ‮יותר מהרגיל, נוסף‬
v. tr. - ‮פיטר‬

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