Redundant: more than is needed
Redundant means unnecessary because something is extra or already provided. It comes from Latin redundare, meaning to overflow. In the phrase return back, back is usually redundant because return already conveys going back; removing the extra word leaves the intended meaning intact.
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Extra material that adds no needed meaning
Redundant is an adjective for something superfluous or no longer needed in a particular role. It comes from Latin redundare, meaning to overflow.
In writing, a redundant word repeats meaning already supplied. The phrase return back usually needs only return. A repeated sentence may also be redundant if it adds nothing to the explanation.
The judgment depends on purpose:
- An accidental repeated instruction may be redundant.
- A deliberate repeated warning may serve a useful purpose.
The word also appears in technical settings for spare components and, especially in British English, for jobs that are no longer required. When editing ordinary prose, check whether removing the material preserves the meaning before calling it redundant.