unnecessary
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of unnecessary
Explanation
Anything that is extra or not needed is unnecessary. Wearing long underwear in July is an unnecessary precaution against being cold. If you don't need something, it's unnecessary. You take an unnecessary risk if you get in the car and don't bother to fasten your seatbelt. Driving your car when you could ride a bike instead is an unnecessary use of gasoline. If you keep dropping you pen in class, your teacher might say, "That's unnecessary." Walking your dog with two leashes is definitely unnecessary. That's obvious, but lots of times it's hard to tell what's necessary and what's unnecessary.
Vocabulary lists containing unnecessary
List 3
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List 9
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"New Michigan Graduation Requirements Shortchange Many Students"
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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.
In fact, no critic has attacked all consumption of all goods, only the goods the critic considered unnecessary.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
Warsh’s first months as chair will test whether the Fed can maintain inflation credibility while avoiding unnecessary damage to an already pressured consumer economy.
From Salon • Jun. 1, 2026
Because the metasurface itself concentrates the incoming radiation, external focusing components such as silicon lenses are unnecessary.
From Science Daily • May 31, 2026
"Independent prescribing will play a major part in delivering this shift, easing pressures on GPs, cutting unnecessary red tape and helping patients get the right care closer to home," he said.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
Elizabeth’s misery increased, at such unnecessary, such officious attention!
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
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.
