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Synonyms

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

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

"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

noun

  1. a nonessential person or thing

"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

Etymology

Origin of nonessential

First recorded in 1745–55; non- + essential

Vocabulary lists containing nonessential

Unimportant

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Thailand, for example, curbed nonessential international travel for civil servants while the Philippines shortened workweeks, potentially straining low-income households’ consumption.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

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

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 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

Embassies had let nonessential staff in locations like Israel and Lebanon leave but had generally told their citizens to register and shelter in place.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

A book about one of Lady Franklin’s rescue missions, The Voyage of the Fox, was among the nonessential stores and equipment left behind at Ocean Camp.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.