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Glite Dictionary
👤 An extra person ➕ More than needed 🎭 A minor actor
supernumerary

supernumerary

9.8
A person who appears in crowd scenes without speaking parts
  • noun
  • /ˌsuːpərˈnjuməˌrɛri/
  • Jargon
translation icon : figurante
  • During the production, the director decided to cast ten supernumeraries to fill the background scenes.

Examples

  • As a supernumerary, she enjoyed the experience of being part of the cast without having to memorize any lines.

  • He is merely a supernumerary in our drama.

    The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)

  • A supernumerary.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The theater company held auditions specifically for supernumeraries to enhance the atmosphere of their performance.

Synonyms

extra
vssupernumerary
32 3.5

A background actor who appears without speaking

is used for similar silent stage and opera roles as well as film
spear carrier
vssupernumerary
1 8.8

A person who has a very small part in a play or film, often with no lines

is a more neutral description for background performers without speaking parts
comparsa
vssupernumerary
  • Jargon
9.9

A performer who appears in the background of a play, film, or opera

is the general term for non speaking background performers beyond regional use

Antonyms

principal
481 3.6

A main person in an activity who has control or responsibility

lead
279 4.6

The main person who is in charge of a group or activity

How Central

lead
279 4.6
bit part
5 4.1
supernumerary
  • Jargon
9.8

Surface Forms

supernumerary singular
supernumeraries plural

Morphology

supernumerary = numerary (semi-transparent) = super + numer + ary

The prefix 'super-' suggests excess, but the specific role of a minor actor is not directly derivable from the base.

Etymology

Supernumerary comes from the Latin parts super- 'above' and numerus 'number', the same root as number. So it means 'more than the number needed', which is why a supernumerary is an extra actor in crowd scenes who usually has no speaking part.