Extraneous – 1. Irrelevant 2. Of external origin (outside)

(Pronounced ek-strey-nee-uhs)

To remember the definition of the word extraneous, use the following mnemonic:

The extra training needed for us (extraneous) was made irrelevant because the game was cancelled. We only found out when we got outside onto the pitch.

Examples of extraneous in a sentence (irrelevant)

We don't need any extraneous information in our presentation. 

Please stop asking questions which are extraneous to the issue being discussed.

Her essay contained too many extraneous details, so her teacher made her write it again.

Examples of extraneous in a sentence (of external origin/outside)

The extraneous noise from the street was keeping us awake all night, it sounded like someone screaming, but it was probably just a fox.

If you want to get a good night’s sleep, you should remove any extraneous light sources.

His injury looked extraneous, maybe it was a knife which killed him?