unnecessary

adjective

un·nec·es·sary | \ ˌən-ˈne-sə-ˌser-ē

How to pronounce unnecessary (audio)

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Definition of unnecessary

: not necessary

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about unnecessary

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Examples of unnecessary in a Sentence

In this city, owning a car is unnecessary. Let's not take any unnecessary risks.

Recent Examples on the Web There are two key goals in a clinical trial: one is to protect participants and not put them at unnecessary risk; the other is to collect high-integrity data to answer the research question. — Claudia Wallis, Scientific American, "COVID Showed How Trials for New Drugs Could Be Faster and Better," 2 Apr. 2021 The Grippo's seemed odd at first; a nice, but perhaps unnecessary, nod to our local potato chip obsession. — Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, "Fish sandwich of the week goes to this shrimp roll from Libby's in Covington," 19 Mar. 2021 Popover pans are an unnecessary, but elegant, addition to your cookware arsenal, and are widely available at local kitchenware stores and online. — Beth Segal, cleveland, "Popovers! Perfect for Passover and beyond," 17 Mar. 2021 The American Rescue Plan is easy to oppose as unnecessary, expensive and mostly irrelevant to the immediate Covid challenge. — Gerard Baker, WSJ, "Republicans Need to Get Their Story Straight on Deficits," 15 Mar. 2021 Which brings us to Tennessee, the latest state to join the shameful list when Gov. Bill Lee signed yet another of these hurtful, unnecessary bills into law Friday. — Paul Newberry, Star Tribune, "Column: Trans athletes not an issue but discrimination real," 27 Mar. 2021 Which brings us to Tennessee, the latest state to join the shameful list when Gov. Bill Lee signed yet another of these hurtful, unnecessary bills into law Friday. — Paul Newberry, ajc, "Column: Trans athletes a non-issue but discrimination real," 26 Mar. 2021 Union representatives have long maintained that safety measures are sometimes overlooked at the Fremont plant, leading to unnecessary injuries. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, "Column: Feds rule that Musk and Tesla are no friend to workers," 26 Mar. 2021 The measure adds new ID requirements to quell eligible voters from voting by mail, places unnecessary limits on ballot drop boxes, and even criminalizes handing out food and water to voters, and more. — Donna Owens, Essence, "New Georgia Voter Suppression Law Being Compared to ‘Jim Crow’ Era," 26 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unnecessary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near unnecessary

unnecessariness

Statistics for unnecessary

Last Updated

10 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Unnecessary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unnecessary. Accessed 21 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for unnecessary

unnecessary

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of unnecessary

: not needed or necessary

See the full definition for unnecessary in the English Language Learners Dictionary

unnecessary

adjective

un·nec·es·sary | \ ˌən-ˈne-sə-ˌser-ē

\

Kids Definition of unnecessary

: not needed

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