extraneous

[ ik-strey-nee-uhs ]

adjective

1. introduced or coming from without; not belonging or proper to a thing; external; foreign:

   extraneous substances in our water.

   Synonyms: alien, adventitious, extrinsic

   Antonyms: intrinsic

2. not pertinent; irrelevant:

   an extraneous remark; extraneous decoration.

   Synonyms: superfluous, nonessential, inappropriate

   Antonyms: relevant, pertinent

extraneous

/ ɪkˈstreɪnɪəs /

adjective

1. not essential
2. not pertinent or applicable; irrelevant
3. coming from without; of external origin
4. not belonging; unrelated to that to which it is added or in which it is contained

Derived Forms

• exˈtraneously, adverb
• exˈtraneousness, noun

Other Words From

• ex·trane·ous·ly adverb
• ex·trane·ous·ness noun
• nonex·trane·ous adjective
• nonex·trane·ous·ly adverb
• nonex·trane·ous·ness noun
• unex·trane·ous adjective
• unex·trane·ous·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of extraneous¹

First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin extrāneus “external, foreign,” equivalent to extr(a)- extra- + -ān(us) -an + -eus -eous

Word History and Origins

Origin of extraneous¹

C17: from Latin extrāneus external, from extrā outside

Example Sentences

Mostly, people who don’t have extraneous funds to pay for tailored matchmakers or one-on-one dating coaching want apps to more mindfully use their data to pair them off.

From Slate

When more theatrical elements come into play — such as the Mexican flower lady crying, “Flores para los Muertos” — the staging feels almost intruded upon by an extraneous sensibility.

From Los Angeles Times

Even when taking into account efforts like Elon Musk’s supposed army of paid volunteers, Harris’s on-the-ground efforts are three times the size of Trump’s, according to the Washington Post: “She boasts more staff, more volunteers, a larger surrogate operation, more digital advertising, a more sophisticated smartphone-based organizing program and extra money for extraneous bells and whistles typically reserved for corporate product launches and professional sports championships.”

From Salon

You might think this is obvious—the party insisting on the extraneous demand in a shutdown game of chicken will always get the blame—but Trump, as the Bulwark reported, had been arguing that the president’s party always gets blamed for a shutdown.

From Slate

While a few extra characters are left at loose ends and therefore feel extraneous, those aren’t necessary for the communication of the central ideas of class warfare and hypocrisy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• additional
• immaterial
• incidental
• nonessential
• superfluous
• supplementary
• unconnected
• unnecessary
• unrelated