nonessential

or non-es·sen·tial

[ non-uh-sen-shuhl ]

adjective

1. not essential; not necessary:

   Nonessential use of gasoline was forbidden during the war.

   Synonyms: extrinsic, incidental, unnecessary

noun

1. a nonessential thing or person.

nonessential

/ ˌnɒnɪˈsɛnʃəl /

adjective

1. not essential; not necessary
2. biochem (of an amino acid in a particular organism) able to be synthesized from other substances

noun

1. a nonessential person or thing

Word History and Origins

Origin of nonessential¹

First recorded in 1745–55; non- + essential

Example Sentences

In December, his account was temporarily disabled for violating Nextdoor’s “ranting” and “profanities” rules after he emphatically told nonessential workers to “stay the hell home” and to strictly observe social distancing measures.

From Vox

Administrators had to issue an immediate campus-wide suspension of nonessential activities.

From Quanta Magazine

It banned nonessential international travel and imposed strict requirements that fresh arrivals into its borders produce negative test results that are less than 24 hours old.

From Washington Post

A spike in sales bodes well for retailers, especially “nonessential” ones like Macy’s and Nordstrom that are still trying to claw back the sales they lost while their doors were shuttered earlier this year.

From Fortune

About 20% of the bankruptcy filings were by nonessential retailers, according to S&P—far more than any other category.

From Fortune

Deemed nonessential, the civilian DCMA employees have been furloughed.

From The Daily Beast

Apparently, 72 percent of intelligence agency civilian workers have been deemed nonessential temporarily let go.

From The Daily Beast

She must decide which employees are “nonessential” and can therefore be furloughed.

From The Daily Beast

All nonessential personnel were being evacuated late Tuesday from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

From The Daily Beast

Men who arrive anywhere in any direction always have the habit of ignoring the nonessential more or less strongly developed.

From Project Gutenberg

And when he came the following day he apparently had once more restored her father to his proper place of a nonessential.

From Project Gutenberg

Error and nonessential dividing lines will disappear if neglected.

From Project Gutenberg

What is essential and what nonessential depends upon the particular end we have in view.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• unnecessary