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Synonyms

nonessential

American  
[non-uh-sen-shuhl] / ˌnɒn əˈsɛn ʃəl /
Or non-essential

adjective

  1. not essential; not necessary.

    Nonessential use of gasoline was forbidden during the war.
    Synonyms:
    extrinsic, incidental, unnecessary

noun

  1. a nonessential thing or person.

nonessential British  
/ ˌnɒnɪˈsɛnʃəl /

adjective

  1. not essential; not necessary

  2. biochem (of an amino acid in a particular organism) able to be synthesized from other substances

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a nonessential person or thing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of nonessential

First recorded in 1745–55; non- + essential

Vocabulary lists containing nonessential

Unimportant

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Nonessential expenses fell by over 25% in February compared with a year earlier, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Nonessential official travel, speeches and other events would be curtailed.

From Reuters • Sep. 29, 2023

Nonessential staff had been told they could work from home due to the potential security threat.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 8, 2022

Nonessential information refers to information that is usually not necessary to the basic meaning of a sentence.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

Nonessential; not necessary belonging; incidental; as, are accidental to a play.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.