SUPERNUMERARY Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

supernumerary 1 of 2

adjective

ˌsü-pər-ˈnü-mə-ˌrer-ē

Definition of supernumerary

as in extra

being over what is needed a third, supernumerary witness to the signing of the will

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

supernumerary

2 of 2

noun

as in walk-on

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of supernumerary

Adjective

This is not the pruning of a smattering of supernumerary employees, these are entire branches of the CDC felled. — David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025 The Lucid Air launched to supernumerary acclaim, boasting nearly four-figure horsepower and over 500 miles of range. — Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 16 Aug. 2023 Roboticists in Canada, from the Université de Sherbrooke, in Quebec, have been developing supernumerary robotic limbs that are designed to explore what humans can do with three arms, or even three legs. — Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Dec. 2020

Noun

One of West Hartford’s earlier patrol officers, Martin McCue, started as a part-time supernumerary in 1929 and became a full-time officer a year later. — Don Stacom, courant.com, 12 Nov. 2020 Broken into six-hour installments spaced out over two weeks, the hallucinatory concert extravaganza is being custom tailored, with local musicians, guest artists and glittery supernumeraries brought in for the occasion. — Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 14 Mar. 2018 History will be merciless to them, but how much fun to watch them reduced to thunderstruck supernumeraries in real time. — Frank Rich, Daily Intelligencer, 13 Sep. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for supernumerary

Adjective

Remember, Apple doesn’t want to change the production schedule ot order any extra A19 Pro chipsets, so the available supply is a function of TSMC’s fabrication process.

— Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
The rivalry with Arsenal has really exploded recently, and that will add extra spice.

— Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of extra

Noun

Reaves has a fully dedicated golf social media Instagram account, and right after retirement from the NBA, Smith joined the golf team at North Carolina A&T as a freshman walk-on.

— Omar Jimenez, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
Lights, staging, the walk-on, how long a room stands in the dark before anything happens.

— Jeff Rabhan, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of walk-on

Adjective

Eskom, now sitting with surplus energy, has set its sights on data centers as a new source of customers.

— Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Decades later, the government was still buying surplus cheese and storing it in vast underground caves in Missouri, Wisconsin, and Kansas, warehouses cool enough to hold the cheese for years without spoiling.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of surplus

Adjective

For makeup artists, that might mean wiping a client’s face with micellar water to remove any excess oil.

— Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2026
The water, now free from excess nutrients, can be recycled for other purposes like cleaning machines at dairy processing facilities, watering crops, or reentering the municipal water system after further treatment.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of excess

Adjective

According to the Brennan Center, some local election managers get spare parts for voting machines on eBay.

— Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
While the organizers put aside some spare statuettes in case of theft, there were too few to compensate for the actual losses.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of spare

Noun

On Thursday, however, good fortune found Ramos in the third inning, as the left fielder crushed an RBI double off the corner of Camden Yards’ right field wall.

— Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2026
Houston’s Jose Altuve tied the score with an RBI double in the bottom half of the inning, and Cam Smith put the Astros ahead with a sacrifice fly that scored Isaac Paredes.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of double

Browse Nearby Words

supernumeraries

supernumerary

superordinate

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Style

“Supernumerary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/supernumerary. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of supernumerary

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

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