superfluity
Americannoun
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the state of being superfluous.
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a superabundant or excessive amount.
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something superfluous, as a luxury.
noun
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the condition of being superfluous
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a quantity or thing that is in excess of what is needed
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a thing that is not needed
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of superfluity
1350–1400; Middle English superfluite < Old French < Latin superfluitās. See superfluous, -ity
Explanation
A superfluity is an excess or abundance. When you encounter superfluity, there's too much of something. When something is superfluous, it's unnecessary or redundant: there's already enough of it. Likewise, superfluity is too much of something. If your friend is a shopoholic and spends all of her time at the mall, you probably encounter superfluity in her closet — since she has more clothes than she will ever wear. The Latin root word is superfluus, which is used figuratively to mean "unnecessary," but is literally "overflowing."
Vocabulary lists containing superfluity
Walden
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Jane Eyre
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The Merchant of Venice
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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.
How refreshingly meta, then, that “The Devil Wears Prada 2” — a film that seemingly had no discernible reason to exist other than to make money — directly addresses its own superfluity.
From Salon • May 1, 2026
Alongside the Spanish colonial homes, the scene is a picturesque look into wealth, opulence and superfluity that only a select few Angelenos can afford.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2025
It is the rare as-told-to book, or one created in collaboration with an author-for-hire, that is well-written, but “A Piece of Light” is filled with a superfluity of penny-dreadful prose.
From Washington Post • Jul. 19, 2018
Partly, I think, because Miller treats his story line as Max would treat his car—stripping out superfluity and softness, in the interest of pure speed.
From The New Yorker • May 15, 2015
Riches and superfluity met him in every street; and it seemed as if scarcity and want had been exiled from the busy town.
From Translations from the German (Vol 3 of 3) Tales by Musaeus, Tieck, Richter by Carlyle, Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
