Synonyms of peripheral

peripheral

adjective

pə-ˈri-f(ə-)rəl 

as in auxiliary

available to supply something extra when needed

the IT consultant suggested that we update the drivers for all of the computer's peripheral devices

Synonyms & Similar Words

• auxiliary
• additional
• accessory
• supplementary
• makeshift
• supplemental
• appurtenant
• accessorial
• complementary
• further
• added
• contributory
• backup
• supportive
• subordinate
• secondary
• assisting
• assistant
• another
• tributary
• excess
• superfluous
• subsidiary
• surplus
• substitute
• nonessential
• dispensable
• helping
• unessential
• adjuvant
• subservient

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• main
• principal
• chief
• basic
• primary
• fundamental
• prime
• necessary
• essential
• integral
• vital
• imperative
• required
• requisite
• all-important
• indispensable
• needed
• needful

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of peripheral

Gay desire has been more peripheral to his work, and is usually shadowed by danger. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Confining food intake to a consistent daytime window also synchronizes your peripheral metabolic clocks (body clocks in almost every organ) with your central circadian clock, which maintains your sleep cycle. — Teresa Maalouf, Verywell Health, 30 Aug. 2026

Following the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, discussions about structural inequality and police violence crossed a threshold — moving from peripheral news into daily, dinner-table conversations. — Thu T. Nguyen, Baltimore Sun, 27 Aug. 2026

For Joan and Luis, these activities were not peripheral to their Jewish lives. — Laura Yares, The Conversation, 24 Aug. 2026