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

Tanaka unnecessarily gave the ball away in the 41st minute at 2-0 in the centre circle. — Beren Cross, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Gaetz also said the department should not unnecessarily move children hundreds of miles from home. — Romy Ellenbogen Herald, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026

Buying more after the stock's climb felt unnecessarily risky. — Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026

The conference could give a contender another résumé opportunity — or avoid exposing one unnecessarily. — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unnecessarily

• extraordinarily
• hereditarily
• pecuniarily
• preliminarily
• airily
• caroli
• merrily
• verily
• warily
• wearily
• arbitrarily
• customarily

Kids 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