superfluity
1
8.7
- noun
- /ˌsuːpərˈfluːɪti/
:
superfluidad
- Her desk was cluttered with a superfluity of papers that she no longer needed.
Examples
-
Many people enjoy the superfluity of choices available at the store, but it can sometimes be overwhelming.
-
Some would say that the old "family-oriented" policy was successful and that its success has brought its own superfluity.
Academic text (1993) -
They probably have greater superfluities, as he calls them.
-
No ornament, no superfluity.
Academic text (2001) -
Any reasonable number of transactions could be removed from or added to a batch, and the system would be incapable of sensing the shortage or superfluity, respectively.
Academic text (1998) -
I will destroy this order of things that cuts enjoyment off from labor, makes labor a burden and enjoyment a vice, and makes one man wretched through want, another through superfluity.
Academic text (1991) -
When we have obtained those things necessary to life, there is another alternative to obtaining superfluities; and that is to adventure on life now, our vacation from humbler toil having commenced. -- Henry David Thoreau
Blog text (26) -
The superfluity of gadgets in my kitchen often makes it difficult to find what I actually need.
Synonyms
108
3.3
An amount more than needed or allowed
33
7.7
A much larger amount than people need or can manage
8
5.6
A lot of things that make choosing hard
7
5.7
Too much of something that is not needed
3
7.0
Being more extreme than normal in words or actions
1
7.9
A very large amount of something that is more than needed
1
6.2
The state of having more than is needed
Extra things or words that are not needed
An amount that is more than is needed, often extra food or goods
A very large amount of something, like many flowers or details
An amount that is more than needed
A state of being more than is needed or wanted
A state of being too extreme and beyond what is reasonable
An amount or level much higher than reasonable
Being more than what is needed
Antonyms
How Excessive
Surface Forms
Morphology
superfluity = superfluous (transparent) = superflu + ity
The noun denotes the state or amount of being 'superfluous' (unnecessary); learners can derive the meaning from the adjective despite the morphological alternation (-ous → -ity).
Etymology
The word superfluity comes from Latin parts super- 'over' and fluere 'to flow', the same idea you see in fluid and flow. So a superfluity is something that 'flows over' what you need, in other words 'more than necessary'.