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

But today's permitting processes are frequently duplicative, unpredictable, and unnecessarily slow, creating uncertainty that drives up costs and delays investment. — Allbusiness, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

This possibility is particularly concerning given that, in someexperiments, AI models have been prone to make unnecessarily aggressive and escalatory recommendations. — Emelia S. Probasco, Foreign Affairs, 20 Aug. 2026

None of that is to say the Mets will push their pitchers unnecessarily. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026

Poor extraction technique may unnecessarily affect the donor area, potentially resulting in uneven density or fewer grafts for future procedures. — Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 10 Aug. 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