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supererogatory

 
American Heritage Dictionary:

su·per·e·rog·a·to·ry

('pər-ĭ-rŏg'ə-tôr'ē, -tōr'ē) pronunciation also su·per·e·rog·a·tive (-tĭv)
adj.
  1. Performed or observed beyond the required or expected degree.
  2. Superfluous; unnecessary: "It was supererogatory for her to gloat" (Mary McCarthy).

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Roget's Thesaurus:

supererogatory

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adjective

  1. Being more than is needed, desired, or appropriate: de trop, excess, extra, spare, superfluous, supernumerary, surplus. See excess/insufficiency/enough.
  2. Not required, necessary, or warranted by the circumstances of the case: gratuitous, supererogative, uncalled-for, wanton. See necessary/unnecessary.

Deeds that are not ‘required’ but which go beyond the call of duty, as, for example, acts of exceptional goodness and heroism. The category is interesting, in that many ethical theories fail to recognize it: e.g. for a direct utilitarian, either an action maximizes happiness, in which case it ought to be done, or it does not, in which case it ought not to be done. Protestant theology also rejected the category, since in Catholic theology the moral surplus arising from acts of sainthood was the property of the Church, and hence could be bought and sold.

Obscure Words:

supererogatory

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1) observed or performed to an extent not enjoined or required
2) exceeding what is needed: superfluous
 
 
Related topics:
supererogative
supererogant
Sunna

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Copyrights:

American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Roget's Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. Copyright © 1994, 1996, 2005 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Obscure Words. © 2008 by Michael A. Fischer http://home.comcast.net/~wwftd Read more
 Rhymes. Oxford University Press. © 2006, 2007 All rights reserved.  Read more

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