needless

[ need-lis ]

/ ˈnid lɪs /

adjective

unnecessary; not needed or wanted: a needless waste of food.

Nearby words

needlecraft, needlefish, needleful, needlepoint, needles, needless, needless to say, needlestick, needlewoman, needlework, needling

Origin of needless

First recorded in 1175–1225, needless is from the Middle English word nedles. See need, -less

SYNONYMS FOR needless

unessential, gratuitous, pointless, uncalled-for.

Related forms

need·less·ly, adverbneed·less·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for needlessly

All of those who are positive have now needlessly spread the virus to countless others.
This New Ebola Test Is As Easy As a Pregnancy Test, So Why Aren’t We Using It?|Abby Haglage|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Conflation of the words “intervention” and “invasion” needlessly stymie debate.
Why Drones Don’t Cut It in Syria|Robert Caruso|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It's not all useless back surgery and unnecessary appendectomies and needlessly prolonging Grandma's death throes.
The Reality of Death Panels|Megan McArdle|October 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Never has such a strong political hand been so needlessly, carelessly, calamitously thrown away.
Simon Schama on How Obama Threw It All Away in the Denver Debate|Simon Schama|October 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The last two sentences quoted above seem to me needlessly bogey-hunting.
David's Book Club: What Are Liberals Thinking?|David Frum|July 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
We were all needlessly hurried, all nervously expectant of the morrow.
The Woman in White|Wilkie Collins
It may be thought that they are needlessly referred to, but they are mentioned as a warning and a guide.
Field's Chromatography|George Field
It was sad to see how many quaint customs, harmless enough in themselves, were needlessly destroyed.
Two Years with the Natives in the Western Pacific|Felix Speiser
My sister's letter to me is a most affecting one—so needlessly, so ludicrously taunting!
Clarissa, Or The History Of A Young Lady, Volume 8|Samuel Richardson
A fierce resentment burned in her heart; she longed to make him feel something of the anguish she had needlessly undergone.
Dr. Breen's Practice|William Dean Howells

British Dictionary definitions for needlessly

needless

/ (ˈniːdlɪs) /

adjective

not required or desired; unnecessary

Derived Forms

needlessly, adverbneedlessness, noun

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