inessential

[ in-i-sen-shuhl ]

adjective

1. not essential; not necessary; nonessential.
2. without essence; insubstantial.

noun

1. that which is not essential.

inessential

/ ˌɪnɪˈsɛnʃəl /

adjective

1. not necessary

noun

1. anything that is not essential

Derived Forms

• ˌinesˌsentiˈality, noun

Other Words From

• ines·senti·ali·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inessential¹

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

Example Sentences

Critics claimed pharmaceutical companies engaged in manipulative marketing, pushed “inessential” medications and charged astronomically high drug prices, especially in the global South.

From Washington Post

Frailties like that seem inessential when it comes time to review a whole lifetime's contributions.

From The Daily Beast

It is inessential here to recount the details of these movements.

From Project Gutenberg

The critics of the preceding generations wasted their energies upon inessential details.

From Project Gutenberg

To remove externals from us, to rid our minds of the illusive and the inessential, is simply to clear us for action.

From Project Gutenberg

We may ignore such inessential accretions, and confine ourselves to the beliefs which all mystics share.

From Project Gutenberg

The secret of my strength is my ability to reject every element that is harmful or inessential to the completion of my self.

From Project Gutenberg