redundancy
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the situation of losing your job because your employer no longer needs you or the position.
the state of being unemployed because one's position is no longer required by the employer; a dismissal or layoff.
Simple“The car factory announced two hundred redundancies due to falling sales.”
In context“Following the merger, the new management team identified several overlapping roles, leading to a series of voluntary redundancies across the administrative department.”
UsageCommonly used in the phrase 'to face redundancy' or 'compulsory redundancy'.
PitfallHe was given a redundancy. He was made redundant.While 'redundancy' is the noun for the situation, the common idiomatic expression for the action is 'to be made redundant'.
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
extra parts or systems added to a machine so it keeps working if one part fails.
the inclusion of extra components or circuits to ensure the continued operation of a system in the event of a single component failure.
Simple“The aircraft has triple redundancy in its flight control systems for safety.”
In context“Engineers designed the server architecture with built-in redundancy to prevent data loss during hardware malfunctions.”
UsageOften used as an uncountable noun in technical contexts.
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
the use of words or data that are not necessary because they repeat what has already been said.
the use of words or data that could be omitted without loss of meaning or function; needless repetition in language.
Simple“The editor removed the redundancy from the sentence to make it clearer.”
In context“The professor criticised the student's essay for its excessive redundancy, noting that several paragraphs merely restated the thesis without adding new evidence.”
From redundant + -cy.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.