as in unnecessary
not needed by the circumstances or to accomplish an end
he writes very spare prose, with nary an inessential word to be found
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Recent Examples of inessential
And even among the series' die-hard fans, most will admit that there are storylines, characters, or entire books that feel inessential or annoying or repetitive or sloggy or wheel-spinning.
—
Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 28 May 2025
While Lamont points with pride to the large surpluses achieved during his tenure, critics say these weren’t inessential funds but rather were leeched from core programs that have been dangerously undermined.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2025
When photography went digital, photo lab technicians and manual retouchers were suddenly as inessential as medieval scribes.
—Steven Kurutz, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential.
—Big Think, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inessential
Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 28 May 2025
While Lamont points with pride to the large surpluses achieved during his tenure, critics say these weren’t inessential funds but rather were leeched from core programs that have been dangerously undermined.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2025
When photography went digital, photo lab technicians and manual retouchers were suddenly as inessential as medieval scribes.
—Steven Kurutz, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential.
—Big Think, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inessential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inessential
unnecessary
Adjective
-
Santeiro, 63, of Miami Lakes, was found guilty in March 2022 of nine counts of healthcare fraud, including conspiring with others to bill $112 million to private insurers for detox services that were never provided or were medically unnecessary at two substance-abuse facilities in Broward County.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
-
No roadways are closed but unnecessary travel is discouraged.—
Cheryl Vari,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inessential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inessential. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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