Standard Lemma guide

overabundance

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, US: /oʊvɚəˈbʌndɪnts/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: OW1 V ER0 AH0 B AH1 N D AH0 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An excess of what is needed or is appropriate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: excess, superabundance, surfeit

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a quantity that is more than what is appropriate

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • four-year-olds have an overabundance of energy
  • we received an inundation of email

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: overmuch, overmuchness, superabundance

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: abundance, copiousness, teemingness

Narrower terms: excess, surplus, surplusage, nimiety, glut, oversupply, surfeit, bellyful

3

noun

Meaning 3

the state of being more than full

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: surfeit, excess

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fullness

History

Etymology

From Middle English overaboundaunce, equivalent to over- + abundance.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Danish: overflod — excess of what is needed or is appropriate
  • French: surabondance — excess of what is needed or is appropriate
  • German: Überfluss — excess of what is needed or is appropriate
  • Italian: sovrabbondanza — excess of what is needed or is appropriate
  • Polish: nadmiar — excess of what is needed or is appropriate
  • Portuguese: superabundância — excess of what is needed or is appropriate
  • Serbo-Croatian: suvišak — excess of what is needed or is appropriate
  • Spanish: sobreabundancia — excess of what is needed or is appropriate
  • Spanish: superabundancia — excess of what is needed or is appropriate
  • Swedish: överflöd — excess of what is needed or is appropriate
  • Turkish: fazlalık — excess of what is needed or is appropriate
  • Turkish: şiddet — excess of what is needed or is appropriate
  • Ukrainian: на́дмір (nádmir) — excess of what is needed or is appropriate