Pleonasm Examples: Redundancy as a Literary Device

A pleonasm is the use of more words than necessary to convey meaning. "Free gift," "advance warning," "end result" — each of these phrases contains a word that adds no new information because the meaning is already implied. Pleonasm comes from the Greek pleonazein, meaning "to be excessive."

In everyday speech, pleonasms are so common we barely notice them. In writing, they are usually considered errors — signs of flabby, imprecise prose. But in the hands of a skilled writer, pleonasm can be a deliberate rhetorical device: used for emphasis, rhythm, humor, characterization, or emotional intensification. The key is knowing the difference between accidental redundancy and purposeful repetition.

What Makes Something a Pleonasm?

A pleonasm occurs when one word in a phrase makes another word logically unnecessary. The test is simple: remove the suspect word and ask whether the meaning changes. If it does not, the phrase is pleonastic. "Advance planning" — remove "advance" and you still have planning, which is inherently done in advance. "Burning fire" — remove "burning" and you still have fire, which burns by nature.

This is different from other forms of repetition. An oxymoron combines contradictory terms ("bitter sweet"). A tautology says the same thing twice using different words ("it is what it is"). A pleonasm specifically uses a modifier that duplicates meaning already present in the word it modifies.

20 Common Pleonasms in Everyday Language

These phrases are so embedded in English that most people use them without thinking. Recognizing them is the first step to tighter writing — and to understanding how redundancy can be wielded deliberately.

Pleonasm vs. Tautology

These two terms are often confused, and even linguists disagree on the exact boundary. Here is a working distinction for writers:

In practice, the distinction matters less than the question: is this redundancy serving my writing, or weakening it? A pleonasm used for emphasis is rhetoric. A pleonasm used because the writer did not notice the redundancy is sloppiness.

Pleonasm in Literature

The greatest writers use pleonasm on purpose — for rhythm, emphasis, characterization, and comic effect. Here are examples that show deliberate redundancy at work.

When Pleonasm Works as a Device

For emotional emphasis

"I saw it with my own two eyes." Technically, "my own two" is triple-redundant with "I saw." But in practice, each added word hammers the point harder. The speaker is not being wordy — they are insisting on the reality of what they witnessed. When a character is desperate to be believed, pleonasm conveys that desperation more naturally than precise, efficient language ever could.

For rhythmic effect

Poetry and oratory often need a certain number of syllables to maintain meter or cadence. Shakespeare's "the most unkindest cut" has a rhythmic weight that "the unkindest cut" lacks. The pleonasm is not a grammatical error — it is a musical choice. When writing prose with a strong rhythmic quality, a strategic pleonasm can smooth a sentence's flow or add the extra beat a passage needs.

For characterization

Real people use pleonasms constantly. Dialogue that is too clean and efficient sounds robotic. Giving characters pleonastic speech patterns — "I personally, myself, don't agree" — makes them feel human. It can also signal nervousness, bluster, or a lack of education. Mark Twain and Charles Dickens both used pleonasm in dialogue to build character voices that feel authentic and alive.

For comic effect

Deliberate over-statement is a classic comedy tool. Dickens stacking "free, gratis, and for nothing" is funny precisely because the redundancy is absurd. Monty Python, Douglas Adams, and Terry Pratchett all use pleonastic phrasing for laughs. The humor comes from the reader recognizing the excess — which means the writer must signal that the redundancy is intentional, usually through context or exaggeration.

Avoiding Accidental Pleonasm

While deliberate pleonasm can strengthen your writing, accidental pleonasm weakens it. Here are practical strategies for catching unintentional redundancy in your drafts.

Apply the deletion test

For every adjective-noun and adverb-verb pair, ask: does removing the modifier change the meaning? "She nodded her head" — what else would she nod? "He blinked his eyes" — what else would he blink? If the answer is obvious, the modifier is pleonastic. Cut it unless it serves a rhythmic or emphatic purpose.

Watch for hidden pleonasms

Some pleonasms are harder to spot because the redundancy is buried in the word's etymology. "ATM machine" (the M already stands for machine), "PIN number" (the N is number), "SAT test" (the T is test). In prose, "collaborate together," "merge together," and "return back" are common culprits. Read slowly during editing and question every modifier.

Trust your verbs

Many pleonasms come from not trusting a verb to carry the action alone. "She screamed loudly" — screaming is loud. "He whispered quietly" — whispering is quiet. "They sprinted quickly" — sprinting is fast. Choose strong verbs and let them work without adverbial scaffolding.

Related Literary Device Guides

• Tautology: Repetition as Rhetorical Device →
• Parallel Structure: Building Rhythm in Prose →
• Litotes: The Power of Understatement →
• Active Voice Examples: Writing With Strength →