excess
B2Neutral to formal; used across all registers but more common in professional, academic, and technical contexts.
Definition
Meaning
An amount of something that is more than necessary, permitted, or desirable.
Lack of moderation, especially in eating or drinking; the amount by which one quantity exceeds another; also used as an adjective meaning 'extra' or 'surplus'.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The noun 'excess' can be countable or uncountable, often referring to an undesirable overabundance or lack of restraint. The adjective 'excess' is used attributively to describe something that is additional or beyond a set limit.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Primary difference is in stress and pronunciation; usage patterns are largely identical. In British English, it can be used more readily as a standalone noun in phrases like 'an excess of'.
Connotations
Generally carries a negative connotation of wastefulness or lack of control in both varieties, but can be neutral in technical/business contexts (e.g., 'excess capacity').
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in American English in business/financial contexts (e.g., 'excess charges').
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
excess of + [Noun Phrase] (an excess of caution)in excess of + [Amount] (costs in excess of £1,000)to excess (He drinks to excess.)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “in excess of”
- “to excess”
- “trim the excess”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Referring to extra costs, inventory, or capacity (e.g., 'excess capacity in the manufacturing sector').
Academic
Discussing statistical outliers or quantities beyond a threshold (e.g., 'data points in excess of three standard deviations').
Everyday
Talking about too much food, drink, or spending (e.g., 'I'm trying to lose my excess weight').
Technical
In insurance, the deductible amount a policyholder pays (e.g., 'a £250 excess on the policy').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- N/A - 'Excess' is not standardly used as a verb. Use 'exceed'.
American English
- N/A - 'Excess' is not standardly used as a verb. Use 'exceed'.
adverb
British English
- N/A - 'Excess' is not used as an adverb. Use 'excessively'.
American English
- N/A - 'Excess' is not used as an adverb. Use 'excessively'.
adjective
British English
- The excess fabric was trimmed from the dress.
- You will have to pay an excess charge on your luggage.
American English
- The excess fabric was trimmed from the dress.
- You will have to pay an excess fee on your luggage.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Don't eat the excess food.
- There is excess water on the floor.
- The recipe made an excess of cake batter.
- He always does everything to excess.
- Any luggage over 20kg will incur an excess baggage fee.
- The company's profits were in excess of two million pounds.
- The philosophical treatise criticised the pursuit of material excess as a form of spiritual poverty.
- The insurer waived the policy excess due to the exceptional circumstances.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a cash register (till) that says 'EXIT' because it's so full of extra coins—EX-CESS sounds like 'exit' and 'cess' (cesspool), suggesting getting rid of or having too much.
Conceptual Metaphor
EXCESS IS A BURDEN / EXCESS IS OVERFLOW (e.g., 'weighed down by excess', 'an overflow of enthusiasm').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation of Russian 'экцесс' (meaning 'incident' or 'outrageous act') for 'excess'.
- Do not confuse with 'excess' as an adjective; Russian may use 'избыточный' or 'лишний'.
- 'In excess of' is a set phrase meaning 'more than', not 'в эксцессе'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'excess' as a verb (e.g., 'He excessed the limit' is wrong; use 'exceeded').
- Using 'excess' as a countable noun without an article when needed (e.g., 'He showed excess of enthusiasm' -> 'He showed an excess of enthusiasm').
- Confusing pronunciation stress between UK (second syllable) and US (first syllable).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'excess' used correctly as an adjective?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It often carries a negative connotation of waste or lack of control, but it can be neutral in technical, financial, or statistical contexts (e.g., 'excess capacity', 'in excess of 50%').
'Excess' is primarily a noun or an attributive adjective (before a noun: 'excess weight'). 'Excessive' is a descriptive adjective used more freely, often predicatively (after a verb: 'The noise was excessive').
It refers to the initial amount of a claim that you must pay yourself before the insurance company pays the rest. It is also called a 'deductible' in American English.
British English typically stresses the second syllable (/ɪkˈsɛs/), while American English stresses the first syllable (/ˈɛkˌsɛs/).
Explore