Unnecessary vs Superfluous - What's the difference?
unnecessary | superfluous | Synonyms |
Not needed or necessary.
* {{quote-news
, year=2011
, date=December 14
, author=Steven Morris
, title=Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave
, work=Guardian
Done in addition to requirements; unrequired.
In excess of what is required or sufficient.
Superfluous is a synonym of unnecessary.
As adjectives the difference between unnecessary and superfluous
is that unnecessary is not needed or necessary while superfluous is in excess of what is required or sufficient.unnecessary
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- The automatic child-frightener made clowns unnecessary .
citation, page= , passage=Robins, of Torquay, had denied a single charge of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. She claimed the microwave was accidentally turned on by one of the cats after the kitten got inside. But Knutton said the kitten was too small to even get onto the work surface.}}
Antonyms
* (not needed) necessary, needed * (in addition to requirements) required, mandatorySynonyms
* (not needed) superfluous, unneeded, needless, innecessary * (in addition to requirements) additional, innecessaryDerived terms
* unnecessarily * unnecessarinesssuperfluous
English
Adjective
(-)- With a full rain suit, carrying an umbrella may be superfluous .
