redundancy

noun

re·​dun·​dan·​cy ri-ˈdən-dən(t)-sē How to pronounce redundancy (audio)
plural redundancies
1
a
: the quality or state of being redundant : superfluity
b
: the use of redundant components
also : such components
c
chiefly British : dismissal from a job especially by layoff
2
3
a
: superfluous repetition : prolixity
b
: an act or instance of needless repetition
4
: the part of a message that can be eliminated without loss of essential information

Did you know?

Redundancy, closely related to redound, has stayed close to the original meaning of "overflow" or "more than necessary". Avoiding redundancy is one of the prime rules of good writing. ""In the modern world of today" contains a redundancy; so does "He died of fatal wounds" and "For the mutual benefit of both parties". But redundancy doesn't just occur in language. "Data redundancy" means keeping the same computer data in more than one place as a safety measure, and a backup system in an airplane may provide redundancy, again for the sake of safety.

Examples of redundancy in a Sentence

Avoid redundancy in your writing. Try to avoid using redundancies in your writing. The design incorporates several redundancies. a system with a high level of redundancy The restructuring is expected to result in the redundancy of several hundred workers. The workers are now facing redundancy. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Everything was designed in-house with a focus on systems redundancy for safety. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2023 Overall, damaging or destroying 3.5 percent of the Russian military's Il-76 fleet at Pskov will sting and strain logistics, but there’s likely enough redundancy for Russia to cope. Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2023 Rather than apocalyptic visions of mass redundancy, A.I.’s restructuring of the labor market must be reimagined as an opportunity to finally deliver on corporate diversity pledges that in turn benefit the bottom line. Grace Lordan, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2023 And with a presence in Texas solidified, SMU could’ve been seen as a redundancy for potential expansion. Joseph Hoyt, Dallas News, 10 Aug. 2023 Some executives at the company were even calculating their redundancy packages due to the overlap between ITV and All3Media’s assets, particularly on the unscripted side. Manori Ravindran, Variety, 31 July 2023 The quick answer for data center operators is to increase the long-term backup capacity and redundancy of diesel generators. Steven Carlini, Forbes, 5 May 2023 While this means the rework must be carefully engineered, Boeing says that with six of the eight fittings up to spec, there’s enough redundancy in the structure to protect the integrity of the tail fin. Dominic Gates, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Apr. 2023 What sounds like redundancy is actually profundity. J. J. Goode, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'redundancy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of redundancy was in 1601

Dictionary Entries Near redundancy

Cite this Entry

“Redundancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/redundancy. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

redundancy

noun
re·​dun·​dan·​cy ri-ˈdən-dən-sē How to pronounce redundancy (audio)
plural redundancies
1
: the quality or state of being redundant
2
a
: the use of unnecessary words
b
: an act or instance of needless repetition

More from Merriam-Webster on redundancy

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