WordLens

extraneous

1 of 1adjective
/ɪkˈstreɪniəs/
Forms:more extraneous,most extraneous
1

unnecessary or unrelated to the matter or subject at hand

C2
  • The detective urged the witness to provide only relevant information and avoid including extraneous details that could confuse the investigation.
  • In order to improve the clarity of the presentation, the speaker decided to eliminate extraneous slides that did not contribute to the main message.
  • The judge instructed the attorneys to stick to the relevant legal issues and avoid introducing extraneous matters during the trial.
  • The manager streamlined the meeting agenda by eliminating extraneous topics and focusing on key priorities.
  • The editor suggested cutting extraneous scenes from the novel to enhance the pacing and keep the narrative focused.
2

physically added or attached from outside, but not originally part of the object itself

  • Certain insects disguise themselves by attaching extraneous debris to their exoskeletons.
  • The robot malfunctioned due to extraneous metal fragments lodged in its joints.
  • The sculpture was cluttered with extraneous ornaments that distracted from its original form.
  • The bird's nest was woven with extraneous plastic strips scavenged from the environment.
  • Engineers removed extraneous components that had been added during earlier prototypes.
3

originating from an outside source

  • The extraneous light from street lamps made it difficult to see the stars clearly.
  • Close the windows to block out any extraneous noise during the recording.
  • The study aimed to examine the effects of diet, free from any extraneous influences.