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Definitions

extraneous

[ik-strey-nee-uhs] / ɪkˈstreɪ ni əs /
ADJECTIVE
unneeded; irrelevant
Synonyms
STRONGEST
additional immaterial incidental nonessential superfluous supplementary unconnected unnecessary unrelated
WEAK
accidental adventitious beside the point extra foreign impertinent inadmissible inapplicable inapposite inappropriate inessential needless off the subject peripheral pointless redundant unessential
Antonyms
STRONGEST
essential important material necessary needed relevant
WEAK
appropriate basic integral national native pertinent
ADJECTIVE
foreign
Synonyms
STRONGEST
external
WEAK
adventitious alien exotic extrinsic out of place strange
Antonyms
WEAK
appropriate basic essential integral national native necessary needed pertinent relevant

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Ms. Fanning is important in playing Marissa’s sympathetic friend and partner in guilt; in her job as a book marketer, she has something of an extraneous subplot to pursue.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

"He was just quietly sitting there, taking script pages out, cutting them up, removing extraneous stuff like scene descriptions, and then sticking them back onto blank pages," he said.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2025

News organizations routinely edit interviews, removing extraneous words and redundant phrases.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2025

No note was extraneous or wasted—and he understood more than most the mutually beneficial relationship between sound and vision.

From Salon • Jan. 29, 2025

He needs a clean sheet of paper, no extraneous marks.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove