nonessential
[non-uh-sen-shuh l]
- not essential; not necessary: Nonessential use of gasoline was forbidden during the war.
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- a nonessential thing or person.
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Origin of nonessential
Synonyms
See more synonyms for nonessential on Thesaurus.com1. unnecessary, incidental, extrinsic.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for nonessential
Contemporary Examples
She must decide which employees are “nonessential” and can therefore be furloughed.
All nonessential personnel were being evacuated late Tuesday from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.
Despite Obama Administration’s Entreaties, Egyptian Military Deposes MorsiEli Lake, Josh Rogin
July 3, 2013
Historical Examples
Men who arrive anywhere in any direction always have the habit of ignoring the nonessential more or less strongly developed.
The Grain Of DustDavid Graham Phillips
And when he came the following day he apparently had once more restored her father to his proper place of a nonessential.
The Grain Of DustDavid Graham Phillips
Error and nonessential dividing lines will disappear if neglected.
Church Cooperation in Community LifePaul L. Vogt
What is essential and what nonessential depends upon the particular end we have in view.
Studies in Logical TheoryJohn Dewey
nonessential
- not essential; not necessary
- biochem (of an amino acid in a particular organism) able to be synthesized from other substances
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- a nonessential person or thing
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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
nonessential
(nŏn′ĭ-sĕn′shəl)- Being a substance required for normal functioning but not needed in the diet because the body can synthesize it.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.