redundancy

noun

re·​dun·​dan·​cy ri-ˈdən-dən(t)-sē 

plural redundancies

1

a

: the quality or state of being redundant : superfluity

b

: the use of redundant components

also : such components

c

chiefly British : dismissal from a job especially by layoff

2

: profusion, abundance

3

a

: superfluous repetition : prolixity

b

: an act or instance of needless repetition

4

: the part of a message that can be eliminated without loss of essential information

Did you know?

Redundancy, closely related to redound, has stayed close to the original meaning of "overflow" or "more than necessary". Avoiding redundancy is one of the prime rules of good writing. ""In the modern world of today" contains a redundancy; so does "He died of fatal wounds" and "For the mutual benefit of both parties". But redundancy doesn't just occur in language. "Data redundancy" means keeping the same computer data in more than one place as a safety measure, and a backup system in an airplane may provide redundancy, again for the sake of safety.

Synonyms

• circumlocution
• diffuseness
• diffusion
• garrulity
• garrulousness
• logorrhea
• long-windedness
• periphrasis
• prolixity
• verbalism
• verbiage
• verboseness
• verbosity
• windiness
• wordage
• wordiness

Examples of redundancy in a Sentence

Avoid redundancy in your writing.

Try to avoid using redundancies in your writing.

The design incorporates several redundancies.

a system with a high level of redundancy

The restructuring is expected to result in the redundancy of several hundred workers.

The workers are now facing redundancy.

Recent Examples on the Web

Given businesses that prioritize learning tend to demonstrate higher levels of resilience, leaders may consider which employee skills are most essential, or most at risk of redundancy, and begin strategically establishing a process to support job redesign and training in-house. —Ellen Choi, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025

Historically, a lack of integration between the branch and ATM cash ecosystems has driven redundancies and inefficiencies. —Octavio Marquez, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025

Avoiding redundancies with federal or state loan program requirements already in place and creating a reasonable, predictable regulatory environment would encourage more investment in affordable housing. —Miranda Darden-Willems, Baltimore Sun, 20 Mar. 2025

At first glance, that sort of redundancy might sound egregious, given both films are in the English language and feature the same general premise of a 29-year-old woman facing personal and professional crossroads. —Courtney Howard, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

redundancy

noun

re·​dun·​dan·​cy ri-ˈdən-dən-sē 

plural redundancies

1

: the quality or state of being redundant

2

a

: the use of unnecessary words

b

: an act or instance of needless repetition