noun
supernumerary
Supernumerary (noun) means someone who works alongside a group or office but is not one of its regular members.
noun
1
Someone who works alongside a group or office but is not one of its regular members.
"The judge was a supernumerary, helping the regular judges whenever there was a surplus amount of work."
2
An extra performer in a film or play, usually without any lines.
"Though little is known about Noble Luke Usher before his first recorded performance in Washington, D.C., in 1800, it is certain that he made the rounds of the eastern theatres as a supernumerary before as well as after that year."
— West T. Hill, The First Western Circuit (2009)
3
Something present in addition to the normal or expected amount.
4
An animal that has not paired up with a mate and so remains alone.
"The best evidence so far that social supernumeraries are physically capable of bettering their lot concerns not rodents but birds."
— William Donald Hamilton, Sorority Avenue: Altruism and Related Phenomena, Mainly in Social Insects (1996)
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like supernumerary.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Etymology
Comes from Late Latin supernumerarius (“extra soldier added to a legion; supernumerary”), from super (“above; beyond”), numerus (“number; collection, quantity”), and -ārius (a suffix forming adjectives from nouns or numerals). The word can also be analysed as super- + numeral + -ary.
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Rhymes for supernumerary
See all rhymes for supernumerary →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of supernumerary?
"supernumerary" (noun) means someone who works alongside a group or office but is not one of its regular members.
What is another word for supernumerary?
Other words for "supernumerary" include extra, super.
What are the different meanings of supernumerary?
"supernumerary" has 3 main meanings: 1. Someone who works alongside a group or office but is not one of its regular members; 2. An extra performer in a film or play, usually without any lines; 3. Something present in addition to the normal or expected amount.
