unnecessary

[uhn-nes-uh-ser-ee]

adjective

1. not necessary or essential; needless; unessential.

noun

plural

unnecessaries 

1. unnecessaries, things that are not necessary or essential.

unnecessary

/ ʌnˈnɛsɪsərɪ, -ɪsrɪ /

adjective

1. not necessary

Other Word Forms

• unnecessarily adverb
• unnecessariness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unnecessary¹

First recorded in 1540–50; un- ¹ + necessary

Example Sentences

The plans could make it easier for venues to serve food outside and host more live music, in a bid to "remove unnecessary barriers".

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"We're taking the pressure off the GPs by taking care of minor eye conditions and we're taking pressure off the ophthalmology hospital clinics because they're not filled with unnecessary referrals," he said.

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But several Democratic governors have pushed back, saying the deployments are unnecessary and risk escalating tensions.

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Newsom argued that using the military in Los Angeles was unnecessary and inflamed tensions.

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Local leaders, including those in Portland, have said the actions are unnecessary and without legal justification.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• avoidable www.thesaurus.com
• futile 
• gratuitous 
• irrelevant 
• needless 
• redundant 
• superfluous 
• unneeded www.thesaurus.com
• useless 
• worthless