Make Your Point > Archived Issues > REDUNDANT
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pronounce
REDUNDANT:
Say it "ree DUN dunt."
Or, relax the first vowel: "ruh DUN dunt."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
From the show WordGirl, in an episode titled "The Return of the Reprise of Lady Redundant Woman," here's Lady Redundant Woman:
"I'd like you to meet a few of my friends! Me... myself... and I!"
Her evil power: she clones herself. Naturally, because our word redundant means "repetitive, not needed."
It traces back to the Latin unda, "a wave." So do the words abound; abundant; surround; undu____ ("moving in waves"); r__ound ("to approach and affect, as if washing over with a wave"); and i_und___ ("to overwhelm, as if with a flood of river water").
Can you recall those three cousins of redundant?
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
The word "redundant" has Latin bits that mean "rising in waves again."
Something redundant, such as a phrase, or a part in a machine, is not needed, because it just repeats or duplicates what's already there.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "a redundant phrase;" "That process is redundant."
Other forms:
"Redundantly" is the adverb.
"Redundancy" is the noun. It's often uncountable: "He's annoyed by the ad's redundancy." And it can be countable: "He's annoyed by the ad's redundancies."
I feel obliged to tell you about a hideous verb, "redundantize." I'm cringing here, but things can redundantize workers: "The automated checkouts might one day redundantize cashiers completely." Please, don't feed this beast of a verb. Pick "obviate" instead.
how to use it:
Pick the common, formal word "redundant" to describe anything that's repetitive and unnecessary, like phrases that say the same thing twice, movie scenes that establish what we already know, and even workers who perform work that's already taken care of by others.
Notice how the word "redundant" can describe either a part ("a redundant paragraph") or a whole ("a redundant article").
Redundancy is generally annoying. For example, Lynne Truss bemoans unnecessary apostrophes as both redundant and, why not, satanic. For another example, I just read through a 2,616-word email from the director of my eight-year-old's ballet studio, and oh boy, was it ever redundant. Dress rehearsal is mandatory, the email said--again and again. (Should I reply to ask if dress rehearsal is mandatory?)
But redundancy can be a good thing. You might design a machine or system with redundant parts, as a safety measure. If one part fails, another takes over. That's why Klingons have two livers and three lungs. On a less-silly note, here's Carl Sagan: "The brain is a very big place in a very small space... Memories are stored redundantly in many locales."
examples:
"Anyway, this kid named Luke won the contest. His play was called Desert Moon over the Desert. I found the title redundant, but I guess the judges thought his work was spectacularly creative."
— Dusti Bowling, Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, 2017
"The chief of police approaches. He walks with purpose. Wide, confident steps. Eyes forward, shoulders back. I haven't done anything, but I still feel like I'm about to get busted. The fact that he carries a gun seems utterly redundant."
— Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate & Other Filters, 2018
has this page helped you understand "redundant"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "redundant" without saying "repetitive" or "pleonastic."
try it out:
The word "redundant" is fun to joke with:
Me: "I want to watch one of those hideously awkward Twilight movies tonight."
My husband: "Sure, but let's not be redundant."
Try this out by filling in the blanks: "Hey, it's one of those (adjective) (nouns). Oh, sorry to be redundant."
For your adjective, pick something mildly insulting, like "clumsy," "cheesy," "pompous," "dramatically overpriced," or "unnecessarily complicated."
For example: "Hey, it's one of those cheesy local commercials. Oh, sorry to be redundant."
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game for this month: MYP Anagrams!
Rearrange the letters in the given word to form a word we've studied before. For example, if I give you THREAD, you give me DEARTH. To see the answer, scroll all the way down.
Try this one today:
Rearrange the letters in ANGEL to make a verb.
To peek at the clues, highlight the hidden white text below.
The definition is… to gather things up, bit by bit.
The first letter is… G.
review this word:
A. TOPLOFTY (stuck-up, arrogant).
B. FUSTY (stale, old-fashioned).
C. PITHY (short, full of meaning).
2.
The film Galaxy Quest pokes fun at Star Trek for having an utterly redundant character, one whose job is solely to _____.
A. stand around looking gorgeous
B. sit at the computer and repeat what it says
C. join the away mission, then immediately get killed
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
On vocabulary...
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.
From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
The word "redundant" has Latin bits that mean "rising in waves again."
Part of speech:
Pick the common, formal word "redundant" to describe anything that's repetitive and unnecessary, like phrases that say the same thing twice, movie scenes that establish what we already know, and even workers who perform work that's already taken care of by others.
"Anyway, this kid named Luke won the contest. His play was called Desert Moon over the Desert. I found the title redundant, but I guess the judges thought his work was spectacularly creative."
Explain the meaning of "redundant" without saying "repetitive" or "pleonastic."
The word "redundant" is fun to joke with:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |