ESSENTIALS Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

essentials

noun

plural of essential

as in principles

general or basic truths on which other truths or theories can be based this will be just an introduction to the essentials of computer programming

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of essentials Amazon’s summer fashion lineup includes breezy dresses, drawstring shorts, and moisture-wicking tops, along with trendy capris, comfy flip-flops, and other warm-weather essentials. —

Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026 Keep scrolling for tiny travel essentials that'll fit right in your personal item. —

Aly Walansky, Travel + Leisure, 29 May 2026 The $100 billion-plus multichannel retailer operates more than 1,900 stores across the United States, offering a portfolio that spans apparel, home goods, beauty, essentials and food and beverage. —

Peter High, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026 When housing becomes unaffordable, families are forced to cut back on essentials, move farther away from jobs and schools, or live with constant financial stress. —

Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2026 But new research from the Brookings Institution released Wednesday describes affordability by comparing the rising costs of essentials against family incomes. —

Stephan Bisaha, NPR, 28 May 2026 But higher prices on essentials like groceries and gas have squeezed shoppers’ discretionary budgets, pushing them to trade down to cheaper brands and cut back on less essential purchases. —

Bloomberg, Oc Register, 28 May 2026 Thousands of trucks loaded with food and other essentials, like oxygen supplies for hospitals, remain stranded on highways. —

ABC News, 27 May 2026 But whereas Shein pursues radically low pricing, Everlane is a better-for-the-world brand that promoted radical pricing transparency and made its bid to be the go-to essentials brand in the early days of the direct-to-consumer rush. —

Evan Clark, Footwear News, 22 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for essentials

Noun

Rollins survived virtually all of his contemporaries from the 1950s and ’60s, the period in which the fundamental elements of the contemporary jazz that followed for the next half-century were established.

— Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026
To that end, one of the central elements of the early Moon Base program is the development of the MoonFall program, which will entail three or four drones each about 1 meter tall, with a mass of 225 kg, including propellant.

— Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026