Standard Lemma guide

superfluous

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /suːˈpɜːflu.əs/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /sjʊˈpɜːflu.əs/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /suˈpɝflu.əs/
  • California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /səˈpɜːflu.əs/
  • Queensland Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S UW1 P ER0 F L W AH2 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

In excess of what is required or sufficient.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • With a full rain suit, carrying an umbrella may be superfluous.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

more than is needed, desired, or required

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • trying to lose excess weight
  • found some extra change lying on the dresser
  • yet another book on heraldry might be thought redundant
  • skills made redundant by technological advance
  • sleeping in the spare room
  • supernumerary ornamentation
  • it was supererogatory of her to gloat
  • delete superfluous (or unnecessary) words
  • extra ribs as well as other supernumerary internal parts
  • surplus cheese distributed to the needy

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: excess, extra, redundant, spare, supererogatory, supernumerary, surplus

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • otiose lines in a play
  • advice is wasted words
  • a pointless remark
  • a life essentially purposeless
  • senseless violence

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: otiose, pointless, purposeless, senseless, wasted

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English superfluous, from Latin superfluus (“superfluous”) + -ous, from superfluō (“overflow”), from super (“above, more than, over”) + fluō (“flow”). Compare mellifluous and fluid, also from Latin. Literally corresponds to overflow, which is from Germanic, rather than Latin.

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ավելորդ (avelord) — excess of what is sufficient
  • Asturian: superfluu — excess of what is sufficient
  • Bulgarian: излишен (izlišen) — excess of what is sufficient
  • Bulgarian: ненужен (nenužen) — excess of what is sufficient
  • Catalan: superflu — excess of what is sufficient
  • Chinese Mandarin: 多餘 /多余 (duōyú) — excess of what is sufficient
  • Czech: zbytečný — excess of what is sufficient
  • Czech: nadbytečný — excess of what is sufficient
  • Danish: overflødig — excess of what is sufficient
  • Dutch: overtollig — excess of what is sufficient
  • Dutch: overdadig — excess of what is sufficient
  • Dutch: overvloedig — excess of what is sufficient
  • Esperanto: superflua — excess of what is sufficient
  • Finnish: ylenpalttinen — excess of what is sufficient
  • Finnish: tarpeeton — excess of what is sufficient
  • Finnish: ylitsevuotavainen — excess of what is sufficient
  • Finnish: liiallinen — excess of what is sufficient
  • French: superflu — excess of what is sufficient
  • Galician: superfluo — excess of what is sufficient
  • German: überflüssig — excess of what is sufficient
  • Greek: περιττός (perittós) — excess of what is sufficient
  • Ancient Greek: περισσός (perissós) — excess of what is sufficient
  • Hungarian: felesleges — excess of what is sufficient
  • Hungarian: fölösleges — excess of what is sufficient
  • Hungarian: túlzott — excess of what is sufficient
  • Icelandic: ofaukinn — excess of what is sufficient
  • Icelandic: ónauðsynlegur — excess of what is sufficient
  • Ido: superflua — excess of what is sufficient
  • Irish: iomarcach — excess of what is sufficient
  • Italian: superfluo — excess of what is sufficient
  • Japanese: 冗長な (jōchō na) — excess of what is sufficient
  • Latin: supervacuus — excess of what is sufficient
  • Latin: superfluus — excess of what is sufficient
  • Latin: supervacāneus — excess of what is sufficient
  • Latin: superforāneus — excess of what is sufficient
  • Latvian: lieks — excess of what is sufficient
  • Norwegian Bokmål: overflødig — excess of what is sufficient
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: overflødig — excess of what is sufficient
  • Persian: زیادی (ziyâdi) — excess of what is sufficient
  • Polish: niepotrzebny — excess of what is sufficient
  • Polish: zbyteczny — excess of what is sufficient
  • Polish: nadmierny — excess of what is sufficient
  • Portuguese: supérfluo — excess of what is sufficient
  • Romanian: superfluu — excess of what is sufficient
  • Romanian: de prisos — excess of what is sufficient
  • Russian: ли́шний (líšnij) — excess of what is sufficient
  • Russian: изли́шний (izlíšnij) — excess of what is sufficient
  • Serbo-Croatian: су̏вӣшан — excess of what is sufficient
  • Serbo-Croatian: sȕvīšan — excess of what is sufficient
  • Spanish: superfluo — excess of what is sufficient
  • Swedish: överflödig — excess of what is sufficient
  • Thai: เกินความจําเป็น — excess of what is sufficient
  • Ottoman Turkish: آرتق (artık) — excess of what is sufficient
  • Ukrainian: за́йвий (zájvyj) — excess of what is sufficient
  • Vietnamese: dư thừa — excess of what is sufficient