Extra in slang means over the top: it describes someone who is dramatic, tries far too hard and draws attention to themselves, or something that's excessive. Friends say it, usually mockingly and sometimes affectionately: You're so extra. With people you don't know well and in IELTS Speaking, over the top or a bit dramatic is more neutral; slang doesn't belong in an essay.
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so/a bit extra; stop being (so) extra; that's so extra
- He booked a violinist just to ask her out to dinner, that's so extra.
- Stop being extra, it's a small scratch, not a broken leg.
- My aunt decorates the whole house for every birthday, she's a bit extra.
What changed
First versionDear Mr Patel, needing three approvals for a small order seems a bit extra, could we simplify the process?
RevisionDear Mr Patel, needing three approvals for a small order seems a bit excessive, could we simplify the process?
Mr Patel is a business contact, while extra meaning over the top is slang from conversations with friends. In a work email, excessive expresses the same idea politely and without mockery.
The ordinary extra means additional: extra time, extra cheese. It can also follow be, but then it's about paying more: Breakfast is extra means breakfast is charged separately. The slang extra judges a person or an action and often comes with so: He's so extra. So saying I need extra time is a request for more time, while saying you're so extra is a tease.
Your turn
She hired a photographer and a string quartet for her cat's birthday party. Honestly, that's so ___.
Show the answer
extra — A photographer and a string quartet for a cat's birthday party is clearly over the top: extra. Chill means calm and relaxed, while the cat's owner put on a whole show.
Tell a friend about someone who clearly went overboard: with a celebration, a present or a reaction to something small. Use extra and describe what was over the top.
My cousin was so extra at her graduation, she arrived in a limo and gave a twenty-minute speech.
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