| 单词 | superfluous |
| 释义 | superfluous (once / 699 pages) adj When something is so unnecessary that it could easily be done away with, like a fifth wheel on a car or a fifth person on a double date, call it superfluous. Superfluous (soo-PER-floo-uhs) means "more than required." Use it when pointing out something that could be removed without detracting from the quality of something: "For a climb over a glacier, the very thickest shoes are absolutely necessary; beyond these, all else seems superfluous to me," wrote the adventurer Charles Stoddard in 1899. The word comes from Latin and literally means "overflowing": super, "over" + fluere, "to flow." So you can think of a superfluous addition as flowing over the boundaries of what's needed. WORD FAMILYsuperfluous: superfluity, superfluously+/superfluity: superfluities USAGE EXAMPLESSo, suddenly Alex Jones is interested in formerly superfluous things like evidence and substantiation. Salon(Dec 13, 2016) Under the old feudalism, the peasants were exploited; under the new arrangement, they’ll merely be superfluous. The New Yorker(Dec 11, 2016) A two-page appreciation of the late food writer Elizabeth David also feels superfluous. Washington Post(Nov 28, 2016) 1adj more than is needed, desired, or required delete superfluous (or unnecessary) words Syn excess, extra, redundant, spare, supererogatory, supernumerary, surplus unnecessary, unneeded not necessary 2adj serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being Syn otiose, pointless, purposeless, senseless, wasted worthless lacking in usefulness or value |
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