Word Study
superfluous
CIDE DICTIONARY
superfluous, a. [L. superfluus overflowing; super over, above + fluere to flow. See Super-, and Fluent.].
More than is wanted or is sufficient; rendered unnecessary by superabundance; unnecessary; useless; excessive; as, a superfluous price. Shak. [1913 Webster]
"An authority which makes all further argument or illustration superfluous." [1913 Webster]
Syn. -- Unnecessary; useless; exuberant; excessive; redundant; needless.
OXFORD DICTIONARY
superfluous, adj. more than enough, redundant, needless.
Derivative
superfluously adv. superfluousness n.
Etymology
ME f. L superfluus (as SUPER-, fluere to flow)
THESAURUS
superfluous
accessory, accidental, additional, adscititious, adventitious, aimless, appurtenant, ascititious, auxiliary, casual, circumstantial, collateral, contingent, de trop, dispensable, excess, excessive, expendable, expletive, extra, feckless, fortuitous, gratuitous, impotent, in excess, incidental, ineffective, ineffectual, inessential, left, leftover, meaningless, needless, net, no go, nonessential, odd, of no use, outstanding, over, pleonastic, pointless, prolix, purposeless, redundant, remaining, remanent, secondary, spare, subsidiary, superabundant, superadded, supererogatory, supernumerary, supervenient, supplemental, supplementary, surplus, surviving, tautologic, tautologous, to spare, unasked, unavailing, uncalled-for, unconsumed, unessential, unnecessary, unneeded, unused, unwanted, useless, verboseROGET THESAURUS
superfluous
Redundancy
N redundancy, redundance, too much, too many, superabundance, superfluity, superfluence, saturation, nimiety, transcendency, exuberance, profuseness, profusion, repletion, enough in all conscience, satis superque, lion's share, more than enough, plethora, engorgement, congestion, load, surfeit, sickener, turgescence, overdose, overmeasure, oversupply, overflow, inundation, avalanche, accumulation, heap, drug, drug in the market, glut, crowd, burden, excess, surplus, overplus, epact, margin, remainder, duplicate, surplusage, expletive, work of supererogation, bonus, bonanza, luxury, intemperance, extravagance, exorbitance, lavishment, pleonasm, too many irons in the fire, embarras de richesses, redundant, too much, too many, exuberant, inordinate, superabundant, excessive, overmuch, replete, profuse, lavish, prodigal, exorbitant, overweening, extravagant, overcharged, supersaturated, drenched, overflowing, running over, running to waste, running down, crammed to overflowing, filled to overflowing, gorged, ready to burst, dropsical, turgid, plethoric, obese, superfluous, unnecessary, needless, supervacaneous, uncalled for, to spare, in excess, over and above, de trop, adscititious, supernumerary, on one's hands, spare, duplicate, supererogatory, expletive, un peu fort, over, too, over and above, overmuch, too much, too far, without measure, beyond measure, out of measure, with a to spare, over head and ears, up to one's eyes, up to one's ears, extra, beyond the mark, acervatim, it never rains but it pours, fortuna multis dat nimium nulli satis, Degree of Subservience.Inutility
N inutility, uselessness, inefficacy, futility, ineptitude, inaptitude, unsubservience, inadequacy, inefficiency, unskillfulness, disservice, unfruitfulness (unproductiveness), labor in vain, labor lost, labor of Sisyphus, lost trouble, lost labor, work of Penelope, sleeveless errand, wild goose chase, mere farce, tautology, supererogation, vanitas vanitatum, vanity, inanity, worthlessness, nugacity, triviality, caput mortuum, waste paper, dead letter, blunt tool, litter, rubbish, junk, lumber, odds and ends, cast-off clothes, button top, shoddy, rags, orts, trash, refuse, sweepings, scourings, offscourings, waste, rubble, debris, detritus, stubble, leavings, broken meat, dregs, weeds, tares, rubbish heap, dust hole, rudera, deads, fruges consumere natus, useless, inutile, inefficacious, futile, unavailing, bootless, inoperative, inadequate, inservient, unsubservient, inept, inefficient, of no avail, ineffectual, incompetent, stale, flat and unprofitable, superfluous, dispensable, thrown away, abortive, worthless, valueless, priceless, unsalable, not worth a straw, dear at any price, vain, empty, inane, gainless, profitless, fruitless, unserviceable, unprofitable, ill-spent, unproductive, hors de combat, effete, past work, obsolete, fit for the dust hole, good for nothing, of no earthly use, not worth having, not worth powder and shot, leading to no end, uncalled for, unnecessary, unneeded, uselessly, to little purpose, to no purpose, to little or no purpose, Int, cui bono?, what's the good!, actum ne agas, chercher une aiguille dans une botte de foin, tanto buon che val niente.Remainder
N remainder, residue, remains, remanent, remnant, rest, relic, leavings, heeltap, odds and ends, cheesepairings, candle ends, orts, residuum, dregs, refuse, stubble, result, educt, fag-end, ruins, wreck, skeleton, stump, alluvium, surplus, overplus, excess, balance, complement, superplus, surplusage, superfluity, survival, survivance, remaining, left, left behind left over, residual, residuary, over, odd, unconsumed, sedimentary, surviving, net, exceeding, over and above, outlying, outstanding, cast off, superfluous.For further exploring for "superfluous" in Webster Dictionary Online