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
But the team behind the image conversion seemingly used footage without a bunch of the usual postproduction edits—hence the appearance of inessential elements like those dutiful barf wranglers and, in the background of a different shot, contemporary store signage.
—
David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2025
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TV
Corporate-TV Branding Has Gotten Out of Control
Elio
The Bottom Line Cute but inessential.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2025
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
What really keeps Luang Prabang so low-key is the perception, among travelers, of its being inessential; the town has become special because it’s not been considered special enough.
—Hanya Yanagihara, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2018
See All Example Sentences for inessential
David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2025
Related Stories Business Disney, Amazon Ink Deal to Expand Advertising Partnership
TV
Corporate-TV Branding Has Gotten Out of Control
Elio
The Bottom Line Cute but inessential.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2025
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
What really keeps Luang Prabang so low-key is the perception, among travelers, of its being inessential; the town has become special because it’s not been considered special enough.
—Hanya Yanagihara, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2018
See All Example Sentences for inessential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inessential
unnecessary
Adjective
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While practicing at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, Todd is accused of performing unnecessary breast and pelvic exams on patients.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Both over- and underwatering can lead to unnecessary plant stress.—
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inessential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inessential. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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