Adjective: supernumerary ,soo-pur'n(y)oo-mu,(re-)ree [N. Amer], ,soo-pu'nyoo-mu-(ru-)ree [Brit]
- More than is needed, desired, or required
"supernumerary ornamentation"; "extra ribs as well as other supernumerary internal parts";
- excess, extra, redundant, spare, supererogatory, superfluous, surplus
- A person serving no apparent function
"reducing staff is difficult because our employees include no supernumeraries"
- A minor actor in crowd scenes
"The aspiring actor started his career as a supernumerary in Shakespearean productions";
- spear carrier, extra
Derived forms: supernumeraries
See also: unnecessary, unneeded
Type of: actor, doer, histrion [archaic], player, role player, thesp [Brit, informal], thespian, worker
Encyclopedia: Supernumerary