1. In a manner that uses more words than necessary to express an idea; redundantly or superfluously.
Usage: Formal; often used in rhetoric, grammar, and literary criticism.

Examples

• The phrase 'free gift' is used pleonastically since a gift is already free by definition.
• He spoke pleonastically, repeating the same point several times in different words.
• The advertisement described the product pleonastically, using unnecessary adjectives throughout.
• Critics noted that the author wrote pleonastically, adding redundant clauses that weakened the prose.
• The speaker expressed the idea pleonastically, saying 'I personally think in my own opinion' instead of simply stating her view.