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Synonyms

inessential

American  
[in-i-sen-shuhl] / ˌɪn ɪˈsɛn ʃəl /

adjective

  1. not essential; not necessary; nonessential.

  2. without essence; insubstantial.


noun

  1. that which is not essential.

inessential British  
/ ˌɪnɪˈsɛnʃəl /

adjective

  1. not necessary

"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. anything that is not essential

"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

Other Word Forms

  • inessentiality noun

Etymology

Origin of inessential

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

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.

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

MAP, deemed inessential, was cut, and the program dissolved within a few years.

From Scientific American