Synonyms

essential element

British

noun

biochem any chemical element required by an organism for healthy growth. It may be required in large amounts (macronutrient) or in very small amounts (trace element) See also macronutrient trace element

"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

Example Sentences

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essential element

But victim support campaigners argue the orders are "an essential element of Scotland's justice system".

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Leverage in the Middle East is thus an essential element of East Asian statecraft and broader Eurasian order.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026

Petroleum is an essential element in modern industry, whether used as a fuel, a lubricant or an ingredient in plastics and chemicals.

From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026

They’re an essential element of our democracy—of seeking justice and redress when a real wrong has been done to you, when your civil rights have been violated, when you’ve been a victim of a crime.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2025

But secrecy was an essential element of military operations, and Ellsberg was not one to blow the whistle.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

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