Pleonastic

Pleonastic describes the use of words or phrases that are redundant, expressing the same meaning more than once, often for emphasis or stylistic effect. While not grammatically incorrect, pleonastic constructions add unnecessary words that could be omitted without altering the core meaning of a statement. The purpose can vary from emphasis to filling time or adding a certain rhythm to writing. In everyday speech, it frequently manifests as casualness. The word's usage is typically evaluative, suggesting a lack of conciseness or precision in language.

Pleonastic meaning with examples

• In the sentence, 'I saw it with my own eyes,' the phrase 'with my own eyes' is pleonastic because the verb 'saw' inherently implies the use of one's vision. The redundancy, however, emphasizes the certainty of the observation. Removing the phrase doesn't change the information conveyed.
• The phrase 'absolutely essential' is another example. The word 'essential' already carries the meaning of being absolutely necessary. While the addition of 'absolutely' might emphasize the importance, it's pleonastic as it repeats a core component of the meaning.
• Consider 'future plans to come.' The word 'future' alone implies that the plans haven't happened yet, so the 'to come' adds unnecessary repetition, although such phrases are used for clarity, or simply from casual speech.
• A politician might say, 'We must all band together and cooperate together.' The redundancy of 'together' after 'band together' is pleonastic. One can 'band together' with an implied sense of cooperation, which makes the second instance of 'together' superfluous.