supernumerary
Beyond the count
Supernumerary means exceeding the usual or required number—extra, surplus.
A supernumerary tooth grows beyond the normal set.
In theater and film, a supernumerary is an extra: a non-speaking performer who fills out crowd scenes.
The word often carries a sense of being unnecessary or redundant: He felt supernumerary at the meeting, with nothing to contribute.
Backup actor, ready nightly
- walk-onSmall nonspeaking role
- extraAdditional, beyond necessary
- backgroundOne's formative experiences
- spear-carrierNon-speaking theatrical performer
atmosphere · ensemble · chorus · cameo · stand-in · supporting · filler · cast
Surplus beyond need
- redundantExceeding what's needed
- overabundanceExcessive quantity beyond need
- overflowExceed capacity and spill
- spareHeld in reserve
unneeded · expendable · extraneous · leftover · unnecessary · overage · remainder · supererogatory
Additional, beyond necessary
- supplementaryServing to complete
- auxiliaryGiving additional support
- ancillaryProviding additional support
- accessorySupplementary addition
adjunct · subsidiary · complementary · additive · incremental · appurtenant · collateral · supplemental
Supply kept back
- standbyReady substitute awaiting use
- substituteReplacement for another
- replacementWhat takes another's place
- backupStored duplicate for recovery
contingent · fallback · emergency · provisional · interim · temporary · stopgap · secondary
understudy
Backup actor, ready nightly
- walk-onSmall nonspeaking role
- extraAdditional, beyond necessary
- backgroundOne's formative experiences
spear-carrier · atmosphere · ensemble · chorus · cameo · stand-in · supporting · filler · cast · production
excess
Surplus beyond need
- redundantExceeding what's needed
- overabundanceExcessive quantity beyond need
- overflowExceed capacity and spill
spare · unneeded · expendable · extraneous · leftover · unnecessary · overage · remainder · supererogatory
extra
Additional, beyond necessary
- supplementaryServing to complete
- auxiliaryGiving additional support
- ancillaryProviding additional support
accessory · adjunct · subsidiary · complementary · additive · incremental · appurtenant · collateral · supplemental · supporting
reserve
Supply kept back
- standbyReady substitute awaiting use
- substituteReplacement for another
- replacementWhat takes another's place
backup · contingent · fallback · emergency · provisional · interim · temporary · stopgap · secondary · reinforcement
- nonessentialunnecessary, unneeded, nonessential, inessential, dispensable
- bit partsextra, walk-on, bit player, background actor, cameo
- chromosomeschromosomes, chromosome, centromere, chromatin, telomerase
- tooth problemscavity, cavities, caries, tooth decay, crack
- theater rolesprotagonist, antagonist, villain, hero, heroine
supernumerarynecessary
Indispensable, cannot omit
essential · indispensable · required · vital · requisite
supernumeraryinsufficient
Below required quantity
deficient · inadequate · lacking · short · scarce
supernumerarylead
Dense metal, symbol Pb
star · principal · protagonist · leading role · featured player