supererogatory
/,sju:pərə'rɔgətəri/
Học thuậtThân thiện
She performed a supererogatory act of kindness by helping her neighbor carry the groceries.
Definition
- Adjective:
- Exceeding what is required or necessary: Describes actions, efforts, or things that go beyond what is demanded by duty, obligation, or need.
- Superfluous, extra: Indicates something that is more than sufficient or needed, often implying it is redundant or unnecessary.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Her apology was supererogatory; a simple acknowledgment would have been sufficient.
- The report included supererogatory details that obscured the main findings.
- In his supererogatory act of charity, he donated far more than was requested.
Advanced Usage
- In ethics and philosophy: The term is often used to describe actions that are morally good but not obligatory, going beyond the call of duty.
- The saint's life was filled with supererogatory acts of kindness and self-sacrifice.
- In formal or academic writing: Used to critique unnecessary additions in arguments, descriptions, or designs.
- The author's supererogatory use of adjectives weakened the narrative's impact.
Variants and Related Words
- Supererogation (n): The action of doing more than duty requires.
- His career was a model of supererogation.
- Supererogative (adj): A less common variant with the same meaning.
- The supererogative measures were deemed wasteful.
Synonyms
- Superfluous: Unnecessary, especially through being more than enough.
- Redundant: Not or no longer needed or useful; superfluous.
- Excessive: More than is necessary, normal, or desirable.
- Gratuitous: Uncalled for; lacking good reason; unwarranted.
Antonyms
- Essential: Absolutely necessary; extremely important.
- Necessary: Required to be done, achieved, or present; needed; essential.
- Indispensable: Absolutely necessary.
Related Phrases and Concepts
- Above and beyond the call of duty: An idiomatic phrase describing supererogatory effort or action.
- The firefighter's rescue was above and beyond the call of duty.
- Work of supererogation: A formal phrase for a task performed beyond what is required.
- Compiling the appendix was a work of supererogation.
She performed a supererogatory act of kindness by helping her neighbor carry the groceries.
Adjective
- more than is needed, desired, or required
- trying to lose excess weight
- found some extra change lying on the dresser
- yet another book on heraldry might be thought redundant
- skills made redundant by technological advance
- sleeping in the spare room
- supernumerary ornamentation
- it was supererogatory of her to gloat
- delete superfluous (or unnecessary) words
- extra ribs as well as other supernumerary internal parts
- surplus cheese distributed to the needy