Extraneous: meaning, example and synonyms
Extraneousadj. Irrelevant or unrelated to the matter at hand; not essential.
Example
The editor urged the author to cut the extraneous anecdotes, which distracted readers from the essay's central argument about urban water policy.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Synonyms
- irrelevant, unrelated, superfluous, inessential
- Antonyms
- relevant, pertinent, essential, germane
- Memory tip
- extra (outside): extraneous details lie outside the point.
Extraneous is in batch 8. Study it with the rest of the batch, then pass the batch quiz to learn it. No account needed; progress is saved on this device.
Check yourself: Extraneous in context
To make the results reliable, the researchers worked to eliminate ______ variables, such as room temperature and background noise, that might otherwise affect participants' performance.
Answer: extraneous. Outside factors unrelated to the question are extraneous variables. Ingenious (inventive), anterior (front) and scanty (meager) don't fit this context.
The judge told jurors to ignore ______ details about the defendant's personal life, reminding them that only evidence related to the charge should shape their verdict.
Answer: extraneous. Details unrelated to the charge are extraneous. Precarious (unstable), ingenious (inventive) and anterior (front) don't fit this context.