redundant

American  

[ri-duhn-duhnt] / rɪˈdʌn dənt /

adjective

1. exceeding what is needed or useful; superfluous.

   You can shorten the article by omitting these redundant paragraphs.

   I decided that a sixth pair of dress shoes was redundant.

   Synonyms:

   tautological, superfluous, useless, excessive

2. characterized by unnecessary words or repetition; verbose.

   He writes in a redundant style.

   Synonyms:

   repetitive, verbose

3. serving or added as a backup; extra.

   If the latch fails on this backwards-opening car hood, the wind will blow it down rather than up, so a redundant latch is not needed.

4. having one or more extra or duplicate parts or features.

   The genetic code is redundant, meaning that more than one codon can map to the same amino acid.

5. Chiefly British. (of a worker) laid off or unemployed.

   If the mine were to close, the result would be 183 redundant workers.

6. Computers.

   1. (of code, or of a signal communicating a message) including or encoding more than the required information, so as to provide a fallback, a means of validating data, an accommodation for different platforms, etc.

   2. (of network or system components) providing an additional traffic path or storage place for data, so that if one fails, the other can take over or serve as backup.

7. Engineering.

   1. (of a structural member or part) designed to withstand stresses greater than or different from those that can be calculated or predicted.

   2. (of a structure) having members or parts designed to withstand stresses that cannot be calculated or predicted.

   3. (of a complete truss) having additional members enabling it to withstand loads that are not centered.

   4. (of a device, circuit, etc.) having extra or duplicate parts that can serve as a backup in case other parts malfunction.

8. Linguistics. including or encoding more information than is necessary for communication: for example, in my three sons, the plural ending "-s" on sons is redundant because three already indicates plurality.

9. extremely lush or abundant.

   The jungle, with its exuberant, redundant vegetation, hides bizarre and exotic creatures.

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redundant British  

/ rɪˈdʌndənt /

adjective

1. surplus to requirements; unnecessary or superfluous

2. verbose or tautological

3. deprived of one's job because it is no longer necessary for efficient operation

   he has been made redundant

4. (of components, information, etc) duplicated or added as a precaution against failure, error, etc

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Related Words

See wordy.

Other Word Forms

• redundantly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of redundant

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin redundant-, stem of redundāns “flowing back, being excessive,” present participle of redundāre “to flow back, overflow, be excessive”; see redound ( def. ), -ant ( def. )

Explanation

The word redundant applies to things that are unnecessary or could be left out. Calling a blank sheet of paper empty is redundant. Teachers often tell students to avoid being redundant — meaning avoid saying something twice or more. Have you ever heard someone tell a story and repeat the same thing over and over? The repeated parts are redundant. Sometimes being redundant can make things clear, but it can also be annoying. Redundant can apply to anything that's overflowing or unnecessary. If a business has two stores on the same street, one is redundant. When you hear redundant, think "Too much!"

Example Sentences

"We responded to a $600 million problem… The idea that we're redundant and expensive isn't a good way to generalize the value of this lab or the cost of this lab."

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

The unsexy boxes that turn high-voltage grid power into the clean, redundant feed a rack of GPUs needs to avoid catching fire on a Tuesday afternoon.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

In 2024, DS Smith made 70 roles redundant at its site in Louth in Scotland.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Piling actual music on top of it is redundant, if not a desecration.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026

I might be overthinking, but despite Jupiter saying I “fit” with her and Courtney, lately, when I’m around them, I feel a bit redundant.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• superfluous
• unnecessary