unnecessarily
adverb
un·nec·es·sar·i·ly
ˌən-ˌne-sə-ˈser-ə-lē 
: not by necessity : to an unnecessary degree
unnecessarily harsh criticism
Examples of unnecessarily in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
My problem is that the security concerns behind the ban don’t really make sense, and the regulations seem to unnecessarily target DJI beyond the justifications given.
—
Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 12 June 2026
Others argue that the old one was unnecessarily difficult and lacked competitive balance.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 June 2026
The study also found that a lack of clarity can lead to people overcomplicating their medication dosing, such as waking themselves up in the middle of the night for a third dose unnecessarily or trying to space out their medications so much that much of their day is spent stopping to take a pill.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 10 June 2026
On the technical side, the film’s a marvel — the editing tight and crisp yet never unnecessarily flashy, the special effects well done but not overdone, and the cinematography from Spielberg reg Janusz Kaminski playing to the unsettled times in which they are set.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for unnecessarily
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 12 June 2026
Others argue that the old one was unnecessarily difficult and lacked competitive balance.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 June 2026
The study also found that a lack of clarity can lead to people overcomplicating their medication dosing, such as waking themselves up in the middle of the night for a third dose unnecessarily or trying to space out their medications so much that much of their day is spent stopping to take a pill.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 10 June 2026
On the technical side, the film’s a marvel — the editing tight and crisp yet never unnecessarily flashy, the special effects well done but not overdone, and the cinematography from Spielberg reg Janusz Kaminski playing to the unsettled times in which they are set.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for unnecessarily
Cite this Entry
“Unnecessarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unnecessarily. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unnecessarily
adverb
un·nec·es·sar·i·ly
ˌən-ˌnes-ə-ˈser-ə-lē
1
: not by necessity
spent money unnecessarily
2
: to an unnecessary degree
an unnecessarily harsh punishment
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
