as in extra
being over what is needed
now that the dress code has been e-mailed to everyone and posted on our intranet site, a paper memo about it seems supererogatory
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Recent Examples of supererogatory
Precisely as Japan becomes a producer of Honda two-stroke engine motorcycles and other consumer distractions, Mishima is preoccupied with the glories of imperial Japan, revealed in the supererogatory sacrifices of its children.
—
Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 7 Sep. 2020
These supererogatory merits were at the disposal of the pope, who could, in effect, offer them for sale.
—Marilynne Robinson, New Republic, 12 Dec. 2017
Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 7 Sep. 2020
These supererogatory merits were at the disposal of the pope, who could, in effect, offer them for sale.
—Marilynne Robinson, New Republic, 12 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for supererogatory
Adjective
-
Trying to run a bar without any water is costing them around $500 a month—that's an extra $6,000 annually, and there was still a water bill to be paid.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The Eagles forced extra innings after Xavier Pacheco hit a 1-out RBI single to center in the bottom of the seventh.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This bug directs excess attention toward the needs and empowerment of the lower orders, which in turn undermines the ability of figures like Musk to build the future in their own image.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The new offering provides more flexibility without requiring freezer space or excess meal planning.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The balance sheet discussion could get a bit technical in the form of the choice of reduction (roll-offs or active sales), which securities (Treasuries or Mortgage Backed Securities) and whether the resulting decline in surplus liquidity could trigger another 2019-like crisis in the repo market.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
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Using surplus army tents from the Korean War to house up to 1,700 inmates, Arpaio built Tent City in August 1993 to address overcrowding in Phoenix jails.—
Jonathan van Harmelen,
The Conversation,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In the spare room or at the dining room table.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
-
This amazing, self-assembling, signal-processing, direction-switching molecular machine is so powerful yet so spare that, billions of years later, it’s still used by bacteria in virtually every gut and puddle on Earth.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Supererogatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/supererogatory. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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