duplicative

American  

[doo-pli-kay-tiv, dyoo-] / ˈdu plɪˌkeɪ tɪv, ˈdju- /

adjective

1. involving duplication, especially unnecessary repetition of effort or resources.

   The report will highlight examples of wasteful or duplicative spending.

   The new “No-Hassle” rule eliminates duplicative luggage screening requirements for passengers originating from certain airports.

2. done the same way more than once; effectively identical.

   A new law allows state agencies to ignore records requests they deem to be duplicative or substantially similar to previous requests.

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Other Word Forms

• nonduplicative
  adjective
• unduplicative
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of duplicative

First recorded in 1820–30; duplicat(e) ( def. ) + -ive ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

duplicative

Part of the rollback of marketing rules was driven by feedback from brokers and agents, who saw the protocols as too restrictive or too duplicative.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 24, 2026

“We think it creates a duplicative process,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

The social-media company let go of its chief marketing officer and more than 20 staffers in nontechnical roles that were seen as duplicative.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

Combined with China’s anti-involution drive, there will be a focus on reducing wasteful and duplicative investment while improving synergies and building on China’s long-term strategic direction.

From Barron's ● Mar. 6, 2026

Teapot did not end the debate in Washington over the country’s two duplicative bomb labs.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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