redundancy

noun
re·​dun·​dan·​cy | \ ri-ˈdən-dən(t)-sē How to pronounce redundancy (audio) \
plural redundancies

Definition of redundancy

1a : 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
3a : 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

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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.

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.
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Recent Examples on the Web

Various divisions across the film studios have been impacted in order to reduce redundancy after the acquisition of the Fox assets. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, "New Disney-Fox Layoffs Hit Media Distribution at Combined Film Studios," 29 Aug. 2019 And there’s a redundancy with every well-regarded hitting prospect near the top of the organizational rankings with Ryan Mountcastle, Yusniel Díaz and Austin Hays. Jon Meoli, baltimoresun.com, "Chris Davis’ dust-up with Orioles manager Brandon Hyde brings a spotlight neither the player nor team should seek," 8 Aug. 2019 The New York City grid is one of the most complex and technologically advanced in the world, with multiple layers of redundancy. Fox News, "Massive NYC blackout's 'root cause' revealed," 30 July 2019 Bankers were reportedly getting notices of their redundancies today in London and New York, where some of the deepest cuts were taking place. John Detrixhe, Quartz, "Deutsche Bank’s shares sink as investors reckon with the scale of its restructuring," 8 July 2019 All the techniques aim to reduce redundancy in data. Quanta Magazine, "A Common Logic to Seeing Cats and Cosmos," 4 Dec. 2014 Bonus: Unlike phone chats and hallway encounters, those emails and invitations will help document the patterns and redundancies that need a longer-term strategic solution. Karla L. Miller, Washington Post, "Work Advice: Getting things done right in a ‘get it done now’ culture," 2 Aug. 2019 Like Panik, Gennett is left-handed, a redundancy that could come into play when the Giants decide on who plays or even who goes to clear a roster spot when Gennett arrives either Thursday in Philadelphia or, more likely, Friday in Denver. Henry Schulman, SFChronicle.com, "Joe Panik’s role in limbo after Giants acquire second baseman Scooter Gennett," 31 July 2019 Indeed, in this day and age redundancies are multiplying by fits and starts and leaps and bounds. Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Redundancies are now the junk food of our language," 20 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'redundancy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of redundancy

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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More Definitions for redundancy

redundancy

noun

English Language Learners Definition of redundancy

: the act of using a word, phrase, etc., that repeats something else and is therefore unnecessary
: a word, phrase, etc., that repeats something else and is therefore unnecessary : a redundant word, phrase, etc.
technical : a part in a machine, system, etc., that has the same function as another part and that exists so that the entire machine, system, etc., will not fail if the main part fails

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