supernumerary

American  

[soo-per-noo-muh-rer-ee, -nyoo-] / ˌsu pərˈnu məˌrɛr i, -ˈnyu- /

adjective

1. being in excess of the usual, proper, or prescribed number; additional; extra.

2. associated with a regular body or staff as an assistant or substitute in case of necessity.

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noun

plural

supernumeraries

1. a supernumerary or extra person or thing.

2. a supernumerary official or employee.

3. a person who appears in a play or film without speaking lines or as part of a crowd; walk-on; extra.

supernumerary British  

/ -ˈnjuːmrərɪ, ˌsuːpəˈnjuːmərərɪ /

adjective

1. exceeding a regular or proper number; extra

2. functioning as a substitute or assistant with regard to a regular body or staff

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noun

1. a person or thing that exceeds the normal, required, or regular number

2. a person who functions as a substitute or assistant

3. an actor who has no lines, esp a nonprofessional one

Etymology

Origin of supernumerary

From the Late Latin word supernumerārius, dating back to 1595–1605. See super-, numerary

Explanation

Supernumerary is an adjective that describes something there’s too much of. If a scheduling mishap results in three extra people showing up for work, then you have supernumerary staff. You probably know that something that's super is extreme in some way. And in supernumerary you’ll see part of the word “numeral,” which means “number.” So it makes sense that the adjective supernumerary describes an excess of something — an extraordinary number of that thing. Similarly, the noun version of supernumerary describes someone who's extra and has nothing to do. She just isn’t needed, like the player who never gets off the bench.

Example Sentences

Among the supernumerary features: 13 cupholders, seven USB-C ports, two 120V outlets, and three-zone climate control.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

A mature horse chestnut, it is festooned with glorious blooms every spring, and after a few weeks sheds hundreds of partially grown, supernumerary conkers, encased in spiky green coverings.

From Seattle Times • May 24, 2024

The results showed that the participants who had received training on the supernumerary arm performed the tasks just as well as the participants who were working with a partner.

From Science Daily • Sep. 27, 2023

Because that's what Japanese company Exii recently premiered with their Jizai Arms — a robotic arm bag, or "supernumerary robotic limb system" that enables humans to control six additional AI robotic limbs.

From Salon • May 28, 2023

It was this extra attention to detail, a supernumerary zeal to approach perfection that led him to spend part of each weekday morning at Hobie’s Grill.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy