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, extranet, extranuclear, extraocular muscle, extraordinaire, extraordinary

Origin of extraneous

1630–40; < Latin extrāneus external, foreign, equivalent to extr(a)- extra- + -ān(us) -an + -eus -eous

Related forms

Can be confused

extraneous 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 Forms

extraneously, 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