redundant
gb/ɹɪdˈʌndənt/ us/ɹɪdˈʌndənt/
B2
English
~ 8300
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
unnecessary; more than is needed
Not needed because there is already enough of something, so it is extra and useless.
Usage pattern:
[something] is redundant
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "redundant" with "abundant". "Redundant" means extra in a bad way (not needed), while "abundant" means there is a large amount, usually as a good or neutral thing. Learners also sometimes think "redundant" means "very important", which is incorrect.
Synonyms
unnecessary (Most direct everyday equivalent; slightly more general and common.)
|
superfluous (More formal and often suggests something extra that should be removed.)
|
excessive (Focuses more on having too much of something, not always clearly useless.)
Antonyms
essential (Describes something that is completely necessary, the opposite of unnecessary.)
|
necessary (Neutral opposite; describes something that is needed or required.)
Collocations
redundant phrase
|redundant words
|redundant information
|redundant features
|completely redundant
|largely redundant
Themes
communication
|daily life
|work
|technology
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The third paragraph is redundant and can be deleted.
- These extra checks are redundant because the system already verifies your identity twice.
- Having two printers in such a small office feels redundant.
- Much of the report is redundant, repeating the same data in different ways.
- Adding your full address is redundant, since it already appears at the top of the letter.
Learner examples
- This sentence is redundant, so we can remove it.
- Two locks on the same small box are redundant.
- The extra line of code is redundant and does nothing.
- Repeating the same point three times is redundant.
- The app asks a redundant question that it already knows the answer to.
adjective
B2
state
2
no longer employed; job removed
(Mainly UK) Having lost your job because the company does not need that job anymore, not because you did something wrong.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is made redundant
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "redundant" to mean "fired" for bad behavior. In UK usage, "redundant" usually means the job itself disappears, not that the worker did something wrong. In American English, learners may not realize that "redundant" for people sounds formal or British; "laid off" is the more common term.
Synonyms
laid off (More common in American English; similar idea of job loss for economic or organizational reasons.)
|
let go (Informal term for losing a job; can include redundancy but also other reasons.)
Antonyms
employed (General opposite; simply means having a job.)
|
retained (Implies that the worker keeps their job while others may be asked to leave.)
Collocations
make staff redundant
|be made redundant
|redundant workers
|redundant staff
|take voluntary redundancy
|mass redundancies
Themes
work
|business
|economy
Examples
- After the merger, fifty employees were made redundant.
- She was made redundant when the factory moved production overseas.
- Several middle-management positions have become redundant due to restructuring.
- He took a training course after being made redundant last year.
- The company announced that no one in the sales team would be made redundant.
Learner examples
- Her job ended and she was made redundant.
- Many workers were made redundant when the shop closed.
- He is afraid he will be made redundant next year.
- After being made redundant, she started her own business.
- The company lost money, so ten people became redundant.
adjective
technical
C1
property
3
duplicated for backup and reliability
In technical systems, copied or doubled so that if one part stops working, another part can do the job.
Usage pattern:
[system/component] is redundant
Common mistake:
Learners may think "redundant" here means simply "unnecessary". In technical fields, it usually has a positive meaning: extra parts or systems are added on purpose to make things safer or more reliable.
Synonyms
backup (Everyday word; suggests something kept in case the main thing fails, but not always full duplication.)
|
fail-safe (Focuses on safety if something fails, not specifically on duplication.)
Antonyms
single-point-of-failure (Technical phrase describing a part that, if it fails, will stop the whole system—opposite of redundancy.)
|
non-redundant (Direct technical opposite; indicates there is no duplicate or backup part.)
Collocations
redundant systems
|redundant server
|redundant power supply
|redundant backup
|redundant network connection
Themes
technology
|engineering
|safety
|science
Examples
- The data center uses redundant servers to ensure the website stays online.
- The aircraft has redundant control systems for safety.
- A redundant power supply keeps the router running during an outage.
- Engineers designed a redundant network connection to prevent downtime.
- Critical databases are stored on redundant storage arrays.
Learner examples
- The company uses redundant servers, so the website does not go down.
- The plane has redundant systems to make it safer.
- We need a redundant power supply for this machine.
- Our files are kept on redundant drives in case one drive fails.
- The hospital’s computers run on a redundant network.
adjective
technical
C1
property
4
adding no new information (linguistics)
In language or information, giving information that is already very clear from other parts, so it does not help the listener or reader know more.
Usage pattern:
[linguistic element] is redundant
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this technical sense with general "wordy" writing. In linguistics, "redundant" is more precise: it means an element does not change meaning because the information is already signaled elsewhere.
Synonyms
repetitive (Focuses on repeating; does not always mean the repeated part is completely unnecessary in a technical sense.)
|
predictable (Stresses that the information can be guessed from context, not always that it should be removed.)
Antonyms
informative (Provides new, useful information that reduces uncertainty.)
|
contrastive (In linguistics, marks a difference in meaning; opposite of a redundant feature that does not change meaning.)
Collocations
redundant marking
|redundant feature
|redundant expression
|grammatically redundant
|redundant morpheme
Themes
linguistics
|communication
|education
Examples
- In this language, plural agreement on both the noun and the verb is considered redundant.
- The subject pronoun is redundant here because the verb ending already shows the person.
- From an information-theoretic perspective, the extra marker is redundant.
- In many languages, gender on adjectives is redundant because gender is already marked on the noun.
- The final particle is phonologically present but functionally redundant.
Learner examples
- In this sentence, the word "that" is redundant.
- The plural ending is redundant because the word "two" already shows plural.
- Here the subject is clear, so the subject word is redundant.
- Some sounds in words are redundant and do not change the meaning.
- The teacher said the extra marker is redundant in this language.
Grammar
Dictionary form
redundant
IPA
GB/ɹɪdˈʌndənt/
US/ɹɪdˈʌndənt/
Syllables & stress
re - dund - ant (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (dund)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: redundant
Word family
Core family
redundancy
noun C1
Related words
redundantly
adverb C1
Expressions
be made redundant
1/bˈi mˈeɪd ɹɪdˈʌndənt/
fixed phrase
lose job because role removed
(Mainly UK) To lose your job because your employer does not need that job anymore, not because you did something wrong.
Examples
- I was made redundant last year when the office moved abroad.
- She’s worried she might be made redundant after the reorganization.
- Over a hundred workers were made redundant during the recession.
make someone redundant
1/mˈeɪk sˈʌmwˌʌn ɹɪdˈʌndənt/
fixed phrase
dismiss because job no longer exists
(Mainly UK) To stop someone’s job and ask them to leave the company because the company does not need that job anymore.
Examples
- The company plans to make thirty people redundant next month.
- They made him redundant after the department was closed.
- Several managers were made redundant when the two firms merged.
render something redundant
1/ɹˈɛndɚ sˈʌmθɪŋ ɹɪdˈʌndənt/
fixed phrase
formal
make something unnecessary
To make something no longer needed, usually because something better or more modern can do the same job.
Examples
- Streaming services have rendered DVDs largely redundant.
- Online banking has rendered many local branches redundant.
- Automation may render some manual tasks redundant.