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extraneous

[ ik-strey-nee-uhs ]
/ ɪkˈstreɪ ni əs /
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See synonyms for: extraneous / extraneously 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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Origin of extraneous

First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin extrāneus “external, foreign,” equivalent to extr(a)- extra- + -ān(us) -an + -eus -eous

OTHER WORDS FROM extraneous

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH extraneous

extraneous , external, extrinsic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to extraneous

additional, immaterial, incidental, nonessential, superfluous, supplementary, unconnected, unnecessary, unrelated, external, accidental, adventitious, beside the point, extra, foreign, impertinent, inadmissible, inapplicable, inapposite, inappropriate

How to use extraneous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for extraneous

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 of extraneous

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
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