Do you use an abundance of redundance? An overflowing flow of superfluous surplus? Quit being so extra!
13 Redundant Phrases You’re Probably Using All the Time
Updated on Jul. 16, 2025
Forever and ever
Did you ever describe someone as droning on and on (and on!) forever and ever? Or have you promised to love someone forever and ever? Either way, no need to add and ever to descriptions of forever, because forever is, by definition, endless. There’s no need to extend it.
New innovations
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, new already exists within the definition of innovation—a new idea, method or device. So if you want to win the prize for redundant phrases, go ahead and describe something as a “fresh new idea innovation product method.” How innovative of you!
Completely annihilate
So, when you annihilate something, you cancel it out and make it void. You basically reduce it to nonexistence. You can’t annihilate something more. Your work is done. There’s no need to add completely—it would be so completely redundant!
Blatantly obvious
According to Grammarist, redundancies are also known as “word overflows.” That sounds almost poetic, in addition to being blatantly obvious, but it’s best to avoid overstatement. Blatant and obvious mean the same thing. There’s no need to descriptively modify one of those terms with the other—unless, of course, you want a deluge of word overflow; then, by all means, go for it!
Fiction novel
Fiction is not always a novel, but a novel is always fiction—or in the case of a “fiction novel,” a prose affliction. Less is more. Whenever possible, use one word instead of two.
Passing fad
Fads are those hyper-popular cultural crazes like Beanie Babies, mullet hairdos and Angry Birds. You may still be snuggling your Beanie plush and rockin’ your bi-level hairstyle while launching screamy birds on your phone app. For most people, however, those behaviors have passed. Fads are by nature temporary. Like waves, fads reach a swell, then crash upon the rocks of culture before receding from society. Don’t be a hanger-on, or add the word passing to fad. It’s already implied.
Period of time
You can avoid redundant phrases by eliminating unnecessary words. Despite the sense that your authority grows in relation to the number of words you deploy, less is nearly always more. Also, time is relative (thanks, Einstein!), in addition to constantly elapsing—or occurring across a period, or flying, or crawling by. No need for “moments of time” or “periods of time” when just the single word time will suffice.
Please RSVP
You know you should RSVP for parties, but what do the letters stand for? Respond So Verification Promulgates? Actually, it’s a French phrase, excusez-moi. RSVP stands for “Répondez s’il vous plaît,” which translates to “Respond if you please.” Adding the please after RSVP is redundant, but it never hurts to be polite.
Safe haven
Pleonasm is not as fun as it sounds. It’s a fancy word for redundancy—or using more words than necessary. Just get to the point, will ya? Haven suggests a place where you’re unlikely to encounter disaster. That is, it’s almost certainly a safe place. So, it’s safe to delete safe from the phrase.
Advance warning
It’s not really a warning if it doesn’t occur before whatever it is you’re being warned about. The weather centers don’t give warnings about storms that have already moved on. Your dad doesn’t give you his final warning after he’s already revoked your privileges and the car keys—although he has the right! All proper warnings happen in advance. Don’t use this redundant phrase.
Unexpected surprise
Surprise! All surprises are naturally unexpected—except perhaps surprise parties with advance warnings (but, those aren’t actually surprises). This phrase is redundant, and you’ll often find it used in cases that aren’t, in fact, surprising. Ever hear someone exclaim “What an unexpected surprise!” after they’ve opened a gift?
Sudden impulse
You know what’s fun? Trying to have an impulse that’s not sudden. A true impulse can’t be pre-planned. It’s involuntary, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, so all impulses will be of the sudden sort. Avoid redundancy when describing them.
End result
You can probably conjure a situation where it’s possible to have a result before the end, but why bother? Technically, the result (for whatever) will occur at the end (of whatever). The result is the conclusion, the outcome, the final product, the finish. In other words, the result is the end. Feel free to use result or end, but not both.
And with that, our list of redundant phrases comes to an end.
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Sources:
- Merriam-Webster
- Oxford English Dictionary
- Grammarist: “Redundancies in English”
