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peripheral

Adjective

IPA /pəˈrɪfərəl/

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Meaning in plain English

Less important than the main subject or purpose.

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Pronunciation

peripheral/pəˈrɪfərəl/

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The main research question
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Peripheral details are secondary to the main purpose of a project.

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The colour of the invitations was peripheral to planning the wedding.
We removed peripheral details so the report focused on the main findings.

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The colour of the invitations was ________ to planning the wedding.

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peripheral — Less important than the main subject or purpose.

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Less important than the main subject or purpose.

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Word origin

Formed from periphery and -al, ultimately connected with the Greek word for a circumference or outer boundary.

Did you know?

The physical sense of being near an outer edge helps explain the figurative meaning of secondary importance.

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