nonessential

American  

[non-uh-sen-shuhl] / ˌnɒn əˈsɛn ʃəl /

Or non-essential

adjective

1. not essential; not necessary.

   Nonessential use of gasoline was forbidden during the war.

   Synonyms:

   extrinsic, incidental, unnecessary

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noun

1. a nonessential thing or person.

nonessential British  

/ ˌnɒnɪˈsɛnʃəl /

adjective

1. not essential; not necessary

2. biochem (of an amino acid in a particular organism) able to be synthesized from other substances

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noun

1. a nonessential person or thing

Etymology

Origin of nonessential

First recorded in 1745–55; non- + essential

Example Sentences

Plus, your credit-card debt is manageable, especially if you aim to cut some of your nonessential monthly expenses.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

Exxon evacuated its nonessential staff from the Middle East earlier this month.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

State Department telling nonessential staff to get out of Saudi Arabia after attacks there killed workers from India and Bangladesh.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

To save money, the state will defer nonessential capital improvements, along with other methods.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

So she sat and anchored her hands to the rocks, her nonessential programs switched off, and then, in her own way, the robot slept.

From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown

Related Words

• unnecessary