superfluous
22
7.0
- adjective
- /suːˈpɜrflʊəs/
:
innecesario
- CEOs often assume that instruction is superfluous because what is needed is obvious to the team.
- become superfluous
- rendered superfluous
- utterly superfluous
And then it's like that's the real superfluous bit in that whole thing.
- And then it's like that's the real superfluous bit in that whole thing.
- And he went, the fool I am to be carrying such superfluous baggage along with me.
- They're not into, like, superfluous details and a lot of yak mouthing chitchat.
- They think it's escapist, superfluous, because, you know, it's, like, not worth their time.
- He talks about the state as being the place for superfluous people.
- So it's not as if we're totally superfluous, but we don't we don't really have full decision making capacity, right.
- The whole just and nothing more is totally superfluous.
Examples
-
The extra decorations at the party were completely superfluous and added no real value.
-
One important structural defect in a work of art is an excess of superfluous matter.
Academic text (1993) -
Throw off the superfluous detail and get to the heart of the matter.
Fiction book (1995) -
Some objects are superfluous, others are not worth the price we pay for them.
-
The act was only a ceremony, beautifully superfluous, a celebration of the event but not the event itself.
Fiction book (1997) -
Can't waste time on superfluous conversation.
-
After all, if he insists on answering his own questions, the presence of the witness would seem superfluous.
-
The "demand-managed" approach to economic development that had dominated until then was becoming superfluous and had to be abandoned.
Academic text (1999) -
Understanding the big ideas allows teachers to design a clear, measurable instructional focus that disregards superfluous content and experience.
Academic text (2013) -
Since no great naval power menaces the free world today, the navy's overwhelming preponderance of surface ships seems superfluous.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
More than is needed or expected
300
1.6
More than is needed or wanted
121
3.9
Not important or serious
112
3.0
Not needed and avoidable, often causing harm or waste
103
2.1
Not needed right now and free to use
54
1.9
Not worth attention or notice
49
5.1
More than needed and not useful because it repeats something
29
7.7
Not important and not likely to make a difference
17
7.5
Not related or needed and coming from outside
11
4.4
Not needed for something to work or be successful
7
2.3
Not necessary or useful in a situation
1
3.4
More than what is needed or wanted
1
9.0
More than the usual or needed number
1
5.8
More than is needed or wanted
1
5.0
Not needed for the main purpose
Not necessary for the main part of a plan, idea, or system
Useless and not needed
More than is required or expected
Antonyms
How Unnecessary
Surface Forms
Morphology
superfluous = superflu (opaque) = super + flu + ous
The prefix 'super-' and root 'flu' are not productive in modern English, and the meaning shift to 'unnecessary' is not directly derivable.
Etymology
The word superfluous comes from Latin parts super- ('over') and fluere ('to flow'), so it originally meant 'flowing over'. Imagine water that overflows and is extra, and that image shows why superfluous means 'more than you need'.