Advanced and Proficiency Vocabulary for Exams(e.g.GRE, Banks, Civil Services, SAT / LSAT). For IELTS/TOEFL, and everyday spoken vocabulary, go to our Spoken Vocabulary Database.
A ‘surfeit’ of something is an overabundance of it. Even though having too much of something can be a good thing in some cases, this word tends to be used only when the result is a negative one. For example, in the case of food, the term is associated with consuming too much of something to the point that you feel physically sick.
We have a surfeit of candidates for the job. There’s no way we will have time to interview all of them.
There was a surfeit of food at the banquet, and I ate so much that I made myself feel sick!
It’s hard to come to a swift conclusion when there is such a surfeit of information that needs sifting through.