Pleonasms or Tautological Redundancies

(avoid redundancies or excessive repetitiousness by not using unnecessary repetitions and superfluous words or more word usages than is needed, desired, or required)

The use of pleonasms results in a superfluity of words, sometimes deliberately, for emphasis; or the unnecessary repetitions resulting from a lack of the realization that such terms are redundant.

A tautological statement, sentence, etc. repeats its meaning in an unnecessary or excessive way by using different words to say the same thing.

* The pleonasms followed by an asterisk (*) came from an essay, "The Affluent Rich"; by Nat Boynton in his book, Media Rare. My special thanks to Mr. Jerry Gordon for contributing a copy of the essay so I could go through it and pick out the "UR's" (Unnecessary Redundancies) or pleonasms.

Please contribute any pleonasms you may come across from any of the media and let's make this list even more significant as it expands. You may send your suggestion, or suggestions, to e-mail contact or use this e-mail address: [email protected]

world-wide pandemic disease
Uttered on TV by a health expert.
youthful teenagers
zoological animals (zoo animals) (pl) (noun)
1. Animals that are housed in facilities where they are kept for exhibition: At Maurice's local zoo, visitors can see giraffes and countless other zoological animals each day.
2. A collection of wild animals kept in close, or open confinement, usually for public viewing: The “Wildpark" in Ted's city is a place where zoological animals like wolves, bisons, lynx, and otters can be seen, not in cages, but in natural habitats.

Also see the unit of pleio-, plio- words meaning, "more, most; excessive; multiple".