extraneous
outside the matter or not relevant
Root
- extra-: outside, beyond, or additional
Other words with the extra- root
- extra: additional or outside the usual amount
- extrapolate: to infer beyond the known data
Extra gives the outside image. Extraneous details sit outside the point you are trying to make.
The essay lost force because several extraneous examples distracted from the main claim.
Extraneous helps with relevance. A detail may be true and still not belong because it comes from outside the matter at hand.