superfluous

Everyday

1. Superfluous means more than is needed, extra and not necessary: "Cut the superfluous words from your sentence." tree →
2. (formal) Superfluous can mean not wanted or useful, so a person may feel superfluous when they are not needed. tree →

In the lessons

In English lessons, editing writing means removing superfluous words and repetition. In formal exam language it means unnecessary. In maths word problems, some information may be superfluous: you do not need it to solve the problem. Phrases: "superfluous detail", "superfluous information", "feel superfluous".

Examples

• Delete any superfluous words from your story. tree →
• The extra decorations were superfluous. tree →
• The problem had superfluous information about the colour of the bus. tree →
• Packing three umbrellas seems superfluous. tree →
• With two helpers already, I felt superfluous. tree →
• His long speech had a lot of superfluous detail. tree →
• Shoes inside a swimming pool are superfluous. tree →
• [457] A few lines are here omitted as being superfluous. tree →

Note

Pronounced "soo-PER-floo-us" (stress on PER). Formal word; simpler: unnecessary, extra. In maths, spotting superfluous numbers is a skill: not every number in a problem must be used.