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 the protocols are equally clear that unless such a credible threat exists, officers should never needlessly escalate a confrontational encounter or unnecessarily place themselves in a position of danger from which they would then be compelled to take a life. —Laurence Miller, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026

There’s no point in unnecessarily limiting him, but the Jays will still be cautious. —Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026

Once the flowers begin to wilt and die, cutting them off immediately is best to prevent them from going to seed, which can unnecessarily deplete the plant’s energy and resources. —Cori Sears, The Spruce, 11 Jan. 2026

Videos of the incident where Good is seen in her maroon Honda SUV as ICE agents confronted her have gone viral and sparked outcry from people around the country who say that Good was unnecessarily killed. —ABC News, 8 Jan. 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