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

As aldermen badgered the buyer, seller and Johnson’s top lawyers during the no-vote hearing, some zeroed in on the mayor, accusing his team of being unnecessarily secretive. — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026

Trump has repeatedly lambasted Labour’s approach to North Sea oil and gas production, arguing that Britain is unnecessarily restricting domestic energy supplies. — Tiago Ventura, Time, 24 June 2026

The goal is to manage it in a way that allows the business to move forward without unnecessarily exposing itself. — Syed Ali, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

Football coverage can also often be dominated by ex-players, bluntly exchanging unnecessarily strident views. — Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 16 June 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