What does surfeited mean?
Surfeited means having taken in so much of something that the experience has become excessive or uncomfortable. Its usual sense describes someone who has eaten or drunk too much and feels uncomfortably full, although it can also be used figuratively when someone has had an overwhelming amount of pleasure, attention, entertainment, or another experience. The word often suggests not merely abundance but a point beyond which enjoyment or comfort begins to fade. In contemporary usage, it is more common in writing than in everyday speech and has a literary, mildly formal tone. For example, a guest might be described as “surfeited with food,” while a public figure can be called “surfeited with praise” when admiration becomes excessive. The term is related to “surfeit,” an older word for excess or overindulgence, and retains that sense of abundance pushed beyond what is desirable.
Having consumed too much food or drink and feeling uncomfortably full; also, having experienced an excessive amount of something.
"The audience was surfeited with entertainment but still asked for an encore."
Common in formal and literary writing; the figurative sense is especially frequent.
Past tense and past participle of surfeit: to eat or drink to excess, or to supply someone with too much of something.
"The hosts surfeited their guests with food, music, and speeches."
Most often encountered as the fixed form “surfeited” rather than as an independent finite verb.
Being surfeited can mean being overwhelmed by something normally pleasurable, such as entertainment, praise, or food.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of surfeited
Surfeited derives from the verb “surfeit,” meaning to eat or drink to excess, and ultimately from forms meaning excess or superfluity. The word has roots in Old French and Latin vocabulary associated with being “over” or “beyond measure,” with related words in English such as “surplus” and “superfluous.” Over time, “surfeit” developed both as a noun for excessive consumption and as a verb for overindulging; “surfeited” preserves its adjectival and participial uses.
Related word forms
How surfeited is actually used
The word is formal and literary. It is often used figuratively for excessive exposure or indulgence, and can carry a slightly old-fashioned tone.
Easily confused with surfeited
Satiated emphasizes having satisfied one's appetite or needs, whereas surfeited usually suggests an excessive amount that causes discomfort or weariness.
Surfeited means overindulged or excessively supplied, while surfaced means emerged, appeared, or came to the surface.