Meaning & use
superfluous
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Meaning
adjectivenot comparableformal
More than is needed; adding nothing useful, so that it could be removed without loss.
Grammar: Often followed by to: superfluous to requirements; sometimes used after a verb: the last paragraph is superfluous.
Patterns
- superfluous to something
- superfluous for something
Delete any superfluous words from your essay.
The extra chairs were superfluous, since only five people came.
Her explanation was superfluous because everyone already understood.
Common combinations
- superfluous detail
- The report is full of superfluous detail.
- superfluous to requirements
- The extra staff were superfluous to requirements.
- seem superfluous
- Her advice seemed superfluous.
- superfluous words
- Cut superfluous words to keep sentences short.
- feel superfluous
- After the change, he felt superfluous at work.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unnecessary
- Unnecessary is the plain everyday word; superfluous is more formal and stresses that something is extra.
- redundant
- Redundant implies something repeats what is already there, and in British usage can mean laid off from a job.
- excessive
- Excessive means too much of something, whereas superfluous means not needed at all.
- surplus
- Surplus means left over after needs are met, and often refers to quantities.
Opposites
Word family
- superfluity noun
- an excess or something unneeded
- superfluously adverb
- in an unneeded way
- superfluousness noun
- the state of being unneeded
Commonly confused: superfluous or superficial? superfluous or supercilious?
superfluous vs superficial
Superficial means shallow or only on the surface, while superfluous means more than needed.
superfluous vs supercilious
Supercilious means proud and looking down on others; it is unrelated to being unnecessary.
Practice
The editor removed several ___ adjectives that added nothing to the sentence.
Choose one answer.
Superfluous means more than needed. Superficial means shallow, and supreme and superior do not describe unneeded words.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “superfluous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.