inessential

American  

[in-i-sen-shuhl] / ˌɪn ɪˈsɛn ʃəl /

adjective

1. not essential; not necessary; nonessential.

2. without essence; insubstantial.

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noun

1. that which is not essential.

inessential British  

/ ˌɪnɪˈsɛnʃəl /

adjective

1. not necessary

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noun

1. anything that is not essential

Other Word Forms

• inessentiality noun

Etymology

Origin of inessential

First recorded in 1670–80; in- ³ + essential

Example Sentences

Content for stay-at-home moms who are either doing the Lord’s work or deemed inessential, depending on what type of misogynist is weighing in on a woman’s worth.

From Salon

One episode in the middle of this season is just that, entirely meant to establish the titular hero as adjacent to another Marvel hero in the area – and otherwise inessential.

From Salon

She treats the question as compulsory but perhaps inessential.

From Salon

The first “Rebel Moon,” released on Netflix in December, made audiences endure a gantlet of narrative groundwork that’s fairly inessential and recapped here.

From New York Times

You might even define a great artist by the ability to pitilessly remove the inessential, no matter how clever the sentence or brilliant the movement composition.

From New York Times