unessential

Examples

• All

• This means that all threads must be tied; nothing should be unessential.

  Blog text (4)

• Spending has to get cut, hopefully on unessential things like the ATA.

  Blog text (5)

• All that, you see, is unessential.

  Blog text (9)

• A high camera angle makes the dance artist appear short, shallow, and unessential.

  Academic text (2003)

• Unsure of what the judge seeks, they cover their tracks with unessential details.

  Fiction book (1992)

• We won't take anything unessential to the voyage.

  Conquest of Space (1955)

• If that's the case, does Meaningful Use have any unessential feathers that we can safely remove and thus lower the costs of this program without hurting its main intent?

  Blog text (18)

• He railed against the mere cleverness of technique and unessential details that distract from the central theme of a work of art.

  Academic text (2007)

• We decided to eliminate all unessential expenses from our budget.

• The teacher emphasized that the unessential details should be omitted from the report.

Synonyms

U

unnecessary

vsunessential

300 1.6

More than is needed or wanted

focuses on lack of absolute necessity rather than extra amount or excess

T

trivial

vsunessential

121 3.9

Not important or serious

focuses on necessity rather than small size or lack of value

U

unimportant

vsunessential

54 1.9

Not worth attention or notice

highlights absence of absolute necessity rather than just low importance

R

redundant

vsunessential

49 5.1

More than needed and not useful because it repeats something

focuses on simple nonnecessity rather than repetition or being obsolete

I

inconsequential

vsunessential

29 7.7

Not important and not likely to make a difference

shows nonnecessity in general rather than merely lacking consequence

S

superfluous

vsunessential

22 7.0

More than what is needed or useful

is broader, meaning not absolutely necessary rather than strongly extra

I

immaterial

vsunessential

19 7.2

Not important or relevant to a situation

is broader, meaning not absolutely necessary rather than only irrelevant

E

extraneous

vsunessential

17 7.5

Not related or needed and coming from outside

means not essential in a general way, not specifically outside or irrelevant

N

nonessential

vsunessential

11 4.4

Not needed for something to work or be successful

is the same idea but uses a different negative word form

I

insubstantial

vsunessential

9 6.8

Not solid or strong and not filling

focuses on being unnecessary rather than on lacking physical or logical substance

U

unneeded

vsunessential

7 2.3

Not necessary or useful in a situation

is used for things that are not absolutely needed but may still help

I

inessential

vsunessential

1 5.3

Not needed for a particular purpose or situation

is used when something is not absolutely necessary or fundamental

N

nonfundamental

vsunessential

6.6

Not necessary for the main part of a plan, idea, or system

is broader, meaning not absolutely necessary rather than only lacking basic status

N

noncrucial

vsunessential

4.4

Not important for the main result

refers to a lack of absolute necessity rather than mere lack of importance

I

inconsequent

vsunessential

9.1

Not important or serious compared with other things

is about not being absolutely required rather than simple insignificance

U

unmomentous

vsunessential

6.8

Not important and having little effect on events

is used for things not absolutely needed rather than lacking dramatic impact

N

nonsubstantial

vsunessential

7.0

Not solid, strong, or important

is about necessity, not the physical or argumentative solidity of something

Antonyms

N

necessary

∞ 1.0

Needed and cannot be avoided

E

essential

537 1.9

Needed for something to work or succeed

How Necessary

indispensable

48 4.6

vital

403 3.5

essential

537 1.9

needed

1.0

unessential

1 5.0

dispensable

4 6.1

optional

99 3.3

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology