Redundant Words & Phrases
Repetitious expressions and redundancies are common in speaking and writing (e.g., “free gifts” or “foreign imports”). For concision in academic writing, these should be eliminated. Some of the phrases below may serve a purpose in certain contexts; however, such phrases can cause confusion. To eliminate needless repetition omit the word or phrase in parentheses.
A
Absolutely) essential
(Absolutely) necessary
(Actual) facts
Advance (forward)
(Advance) planning
(Advance) preview
(Advance) reservations
(Advance) warning
Add (an additional)
Add (up)
(Added) bonus
(Affirmative) yes
(Aid and) abet
(All-time) record
Alternative (choice)
A.M. (in the morning)
(And) etc.
(Anonymous) stranger
(Annual) anniversary
(Armed) gunman
(Artificial) prosthesis
Ascend (up)
Ask (the question)
Assemble (together)
Attach (together)
ATM (machine)
Autobiography (of his/her own life
B
Bald (-headed)
Balsa (wood)
(Basic) fundamentals
(Basic) necessities
Best (ever)
C
Cacophony (of sound)
Cameo (appearance)
Cancel (out)
(Careful) scrutiny
Cash (money)
Cease (and desist)
Circle (around)
Circulate (around)
Classify (into groups)
(Close) proximity
(Closed) fist
Collaborate (together)
Combine (together)
Commute (back and forth)
Compete (with each other)
(Completely) annihilate
(Completely) destroyed
(Completely) eliminate
(Completely) engulfed
(Completely) filled
(Completely) surround
(Component) parts
Confer (together)
Connect (together)
Connect (up)
Confused (state)
Consensus (of opinion)
(Constantly) maintained
Cooperate (together)
Could (possibly)
Crisis (situation)
Curative (process)
(Current) incumbent
(Current) trend
D
Descend (down)
(Desirable) benefits
(Different) kinds
Disappear (from sight)
Drop (down)
During (the course of)
Dwindle (down)
E
Each (and every)
Earlier (in time)
Eliminate (altogether)
Emergency (situation)
(Empty) hole
Empty (out)
(Empty) space
Enclosed (herein)
(End) result
Enter (in) etc. (in color)
(Entirely) eliminate
Equal (to one another)
Eradicate (completely)
Estimated at (about)
Evolve (over time)
(Exact) same
(Exposed) opening
Extradite (back)
F
(Face) mask
Fall (down)
(Favorable) approval
(Fellow) classmates
(Fellow) colleague
Few (in number)
Filled (to capacity)
(Final) conclusion
(Final) end
(Final) outcome
(Final) ultimatum
(First and) foremost
(First) conceived
First (of all)
Fly (through the air)
Follow (after)
(Foreign) imports
(Former) graduate
(Former) veteran
(Free) gift
(From) whence
(Frozen) ice
(Frozen) tundra
Full (to capacity)
(Full) satisfaction
Fuse (together)
(Future) plans
(Future) recurrence
G
Gather (together)
(General) public
GOP (party)
GRE (exam)
Green, blue, yellow, etc. (in color)
Grow (in size)
H
Had done (previously)
(Harmful) injuries
(Head) honcho
Heat (up)
HIV (virus)
Hoist (up)
(Hollow) tube
Hurry (up)
I
(Illustrated) drawing
Incredible (to believe)
Indicted (on a charge)
Input (into)
Integrate (together)
Integrate (with each other)
Interdependent (on each other)
Introduced (a new)
Introduced (for the first time)
(Ir)regardless
ISBN (number)
J
Join (together)
(Joint) collaboration
K
Kneel (down)
(Knowledgeable) experts
L
Lag (behind)
Later (time)
LCD (display)
Lift (up)
(Little) baby
(Live) studio audience
(Live) witness
(Local) residents
Look (ahead) to the future
Look back (in retrospect)
M
Made (out) of
(Major) breakthrough
(Major) feat
Manually (by hand)
May (possibly)
Meet (together)
Meet (with each other)
(Mental) telepathy
Merge (together)
Might (possibly)
Minestrone (soup)
Mix (together)
Modern ______ (of today)
(Mutual) cooperation
(Mutually) interdependent
Mutual respect (for each other)
N
Nape (of her neck)
(Native) habitat
(Natural) instinct
Never (before)
(New) beginning
(New) construction
(New) innovation
(New) invention
(New) recruit
None (at all)
Nostalgia (for the past)
(Now) pending
(Number-one) leader in
O
Off (of)
(Old) adage
(Old) cliché
(Old) custom
(Old) proverb
(Open) trench
Open (up)
(Oral) conversation
(Originally) created
Output (out of)
(Outside) in the yard
Outside (of)
(Over) exaggerate
Over (with)
(Overused) cliché
P
(Pair of) twins
Palm (of the hand)
(Passing) fad
(Past) experience
(Past) history
(Past) memories
(Past) records
Penetrate (into)
Period (of time)
(Personal) friend
(Personal) opinion
Pick (and choose)
PIN (number)
Plan (ahead)
Plan (in advance)
(Please) RSVP
Plunge (down)
(Polar) opposites
(Positive) identification
Postpone (until later)
Pouring (down) rain
(Pre)board (as an airplane)
(Pre)heat
(Pre)record
(Private) industry
(Present) incumbent
Present (time)
Previously listed (above)
Proceed (ahead)
(Proposed) plan
Protest (against)
Pursue (after)
R
Raise (up)
RAM (memory)
Reason is (because)
Reason (why)
Recur (again)
Refer (back)
Reflect (back)
(Regular) routine
Repeat (again)
Reply (back)
Retreat (back)
Revert (back)
Rise (up)
Round (in shape)
S
(Safe) haven
(Safe) sanctuary
Same (exact)
(Sand) dune
Scrutinize (in detail)
Separated (apart from each other)
(Serious) danger
Share (together)
(Sharp) point
Shiny (in appearance)
Slow (speed)
Small (size)
(Small) speck
Sole (of the foot)
Spell out (in detail)
Spliced (together)
Start (off) or (out)
(Still) persists
(Still) remains
(Sudden) impulse
(Sum) total
T
Tall (in stature)
(Temper) tantrum
Ten (in number)
Three a.m. (in the morning)
Time (period)
(Tiny) bit
(Total) destruction
(True) facts
(Truly) sincere
Tuna (fish)
(Twelve) noon or midnight
(Two equal) halves
U
(Ultimate) goal
Undergraduate (student)
(Underground) subway
(Unexpected) emergency
(Unexpected) surprise
(Unintentional) mistake
(Unnamed) anonymous
(Usual) custom
V
Vacillate (back and forth)
(Veiled) ambush
(Very) pregnant
(Very) unique
Visible (to the eye)
W
(Wall) mural
Warn (in advance)
Weather (conditions)
Weather (situation)
Whether (or not)
(White) snow
Write (down)