What does it mean word for word?
The phrase in eccesso is a prepositional locution consisting of the preposition in and the noun eccesso (excess).
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between using the adverbial phrase in eccesso and the adjective eccessivo. Use in eccesso to describe how an action is performed or to describe a state of quantity (for example, 'eating in excess'), whereas eccessivo is an adjective used to describe a noun (for example, 'an excessive amount'). The noun eccedenza can be used to refer to the specific degree by which one thing exceeds another, and the plural form eccessi refers to 'excesses'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase in eccesso functions as an adverbial phrase to describe how an action is performed or the state of a quantity.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of in eccesso is /in etˈtʃɛs.so/. It has 3 syllables and the stress is on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The word eccesso shares its Latin ancestor with the English word 'recess'. Both terms stem from the idea of 'going out' or 'departing'.
- In Italian, the phrase in eccesso is often replaced by the idiom fuori misura when talking about physical size, literally meaning 'outside of measure'.
- The noun eccesso can describe more than just quantity, such as a person's wild or uncontrolled behavior in a social setting.
Examples in context
- Qualsiasi cosa in eccesso fa male.Anything in excess is bad.This sentence shows how something done in eccesso can be harmful.Tatoeba #14025139 by Guybrush88, translation #14018836 by rul
- Non si dovrebbe mangiare in eccesso.You shouldn't eat to excess.This sentence uses in eccesso to advise against eating too much.Tatoeba #1588501 by jackhayes, translation #268625 by Dejo
- l'eccesso di ciboExcess of food
- senso di eccessoSense of excess
- eliminare il superfluoEliminate the excess
- spese superflueExcessive expenses
- un'abbondanza di ciboAn excess of food
- ho mangiato troppe patatineI ate too many chips
- ci sono troppe personeThere are too many people
- La tua generosità è un eccesso d'amore!Your generosity is an excess of love!
- Ci sono troppe scatole qua!There are too many boxes here!
- Ho mangiato troppe torte ieri seraI ate too many cakes last night
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Chiara are cleaning out the kitchen pantry.
- LorenzoChiara, abbiamo troppa farina in eccesso qui.Chiara, we have too much excess flour here.
- ChiaraHai ragione, Lorenzo. Ne abbiamo comprata troppa.You are right, Lorenzo. We bought too much of it.
- LorenzoPossiamo darne un po' ai tuoi genitori?Can we give some to your parents?
- ChiaraSì, accetteranno volentieri l'aiuto.Yes, they will gladly accept the help.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “excess” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (in, eccesso) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eccesso, in, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
