needlessness
- noun
- /ˈnidləsnəs/
- At the same time that Miranda was implementing the age-old argument, he needed the painting to project an image of success, one that worked as a narrative and had temporal markers that made clear the progress achieved and the needlessness of bringing in a secular competitor.
Examples
-
The needlessness of overtime work was clear when everyone finished their tasks early.
-
The needlessness of Forgey's panoply of hackneyed exoticisms becomes readily apparent when one reads another article he wrote for the Post, which appeared the same day and on the same pages of the paper.
Academic text (2004) -
During the meeting, the team addressed the needlessness of unnecessary reports that wasted time.
-
Her insistence on following strict protocols showed the needlessness of creating obstacles for the project.
Synonyms
The fact that something is not needed
Something that is not needed or necessary
A thing or situation that is not needed
Being more than what is needed
A situation with extra parts or ideas that are not needed
A state in which something is not necessary
A quality of being unnecessary and without good reason
Antonyms
How Necessary
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Needlessness is made from need (something necessary), plus less ('without') and the ending -ness ('the state of'), so it literally says 'the state of being without need'. This is why needlessness means something is 'unnecessary' or not required.