definitions

extraneous

[ ik-strey-nee-uhs ]
/ ɪkˈstreɪ ni əs /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR extraneous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

introduced or coming from without; not belonging or proper to a thing; external; foreign: extraneous substances in our water.
not pertinent; irrelevant: an extraneous remark; extraneous decoration.

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RELATED WORDS

outwardly, apparently, carelessly, casually, hastily, ostensibly, partially, skim, externally, frivolously, ignorantly

Nearby words

extrality, extramarital, extrametrical, extramundane, extramural, extraneous, extraneously, extranet, extranuclear, extraocular muscle, extraordinaire

Origin of extraneous

1630–40; < Latin extrāneus external, foreign, equivalent to extr(a)- extra- + -ān(us) -an + -eus -eous
Related forms
Can be confusedextraneous external extrinsic internal intrinsic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for extraneously

  • Hypothetically considered, the situation was not extraneously alarming.

    The Shriek|Charles Somerville

British Dictionary definitions for extraneously

extraneous

/ (ɪkˈstreɪnɪəs) /

adjective

not essential
not pertinent or applicable; irrelevant
coming from without; of external origin
not belonging; unrelated to that to which it is added or in which it is contained
Derived Formsextraneously, adverbextraneousness, noun

Word Origin for extraneous

C17: from Latin extrāneus external, from extrā outside
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for extraneously

extraneous

adj.

1630s, from Latin extraneus "external, strange," from extra "outside of" (see extra-).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper