extraneous

adjective

ex·​tra·​ne·​ous ek-ˈstrā-nē-əs 

1

: existing on or coming from the outside

extraneous light

2

a

: not forming an essential or vital part

extraneous ornamentation

b

: having no relevance

an extraneous digression

3

: being a number obtained in solving an equation that is not a solution of the equation

extraneous roots

extraneously adverb

extraneousness noun

Did you know?

We’d hate to be extra, so we won’t weigh you down with a lot of extraneous information about the word extraneous. Instead, we’ll tell you that it has been a part of the English language since at least the mid-1600s, and that it comes from the Latin word extrāneus, which means “not belonging to one’s family or household; external.” Extrāneus—a combination of the Latin adverb/preposition extrā  (“outside” or “beyond”) and adjective suffix -āneus—is also the root of the English words strange and estrange; its influence is even more obvious in the Spanish adjective extraño, meaning “strange.” The “outside/beyond” senses of extrā are also evident in non-extraneous English words like extraterrestrial, which refers to a creature originating from “outside” planet Earth, and extrajudicial, which describes something “beyond” what is allowed by a court.

Synonyms

• accidental
• adventitious
• alien
• external
• extrinsic
• foreign
• supervenient

Choose the Right Synonym for extraneous

extrinsic, extraneous, foreign, alien mean external to a thing, its essential nature, or its original character.

extrinsic applies to what is distinctly outside the thing in question or is not contained in or derived from its essential nature.

sentimental value that is extrinsic to the house's market value

extraneous applies to what is on or comes from the outside and may or may not be capable of becoming an essential part.

arguments extraneous to the issue

foreign applies to what is so different as to be rejected or repelled or to be incapable of becoming assimilated.

techniques foreign to French cuisine

alien is stronger than foreign in suggesting opposition, repugnance, or irreconcilability.

a practice totally alien to her nature

Examples of extraneous in a Sentence

Obviously, some degree of packaging is necessary to transport and protect the products we need, but all too often manufacturers add extraneous wrappers over wrappers and layers of unnecessary plastic. —Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, 2006

Industry sages argue that lump charcoal is poised for a back-to-the-future resurgence. They say that a new generation of consumers—aware that most briquettes are shot through with all manner of extraneous materials, from fillers of pulverized limestone to binders of sugarcane bagasse and ignition catalysts of sodium nitrate—are willing to pay the two-buck-a-bag premium for true lump, which, compared to traditional briquettes, lights quicker, burns hotter, and throws off no chemical residue. —John T. Edge, Gourmet, June 2003

The summer concert season is at hand, which means lots of warm nights wishing the guy in the row behind you would bogart that joint instead of blowing smoke into your hair, and lots of days spent wondering just how many extraneous … charges one ticket can possibly have added on. —Entertainment Weekly, 18 May 2001

She sped up the process by eliminating all extraneous steps.

the architect's streamlined modern style shuns any sort of extraneous ornamentation

Recent Examples on the Web

Further complicating matters, child abuse determinations are subject to cognitive bias, in which extraneous information leads experts to interpret the same injury in different ways—at least one of which must be incorrect. —Jeff Kukucka, Scientific American, 26 Oct. 2024

Her husband is way too sad, way too worried, and way too extraneous, while Alfie is fine as a living reminder of what’s at stake (his future and his mother’s legacy), but this isn’t a kid’s show. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2024

Beginning in earnest with 2012’s Grief Pedigree, Ka has peeled away every extraneous layer from his work, tinkering like the Porsche designer until each part fits within another just so. —Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2024

Caution must be exercised at all times, especially around extraneous spending on legal fees and consultants. —Victoria Le, Orange County Register, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin extrāneus "not belonging to one's family or household, coming from abroad, foreign, external" + -ous — more at strange entry 1

First Known Use

1638, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

extraneous

adjective

ex·​tra·​ne·​ous ek-ˈstrā-nē-əs 

1

: not forming a necessary part

2

: irrelevant

extraneously adverb

extraneousness noun