as in unnecessary
not needed by the circumstances or to accomplish an end
needless expenditures that pushed the construction project way over budget
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Recent Examples of needless
President Donald Trump said Sunday has criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of causing needless deaths with a massive assault on Ukrainian cities.
—
Jana Kasperkevic, NBC news, 26 May 2025
Many teens and even older persons have been impacted, resulting in needless suffering and death.
—Robert Glatter, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Optimizing For Performance: To guarantee AI can get the appropriate data at the appropriate moment without needless latency or expenses, scalable infrastructure and effective data distribution methods should be put in place.
—Artyom Keydunov, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
After recent excursions that have felt lacking for various reasons — sub-optimal stage design (Hungary, 2022), distance from Italy (Jerusalem, 2018), and a needless trip to one of cycling’s existing heartlands (Netherlands, 2016) — Albania was a vast improvement.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for needless
Jana Kasperkevic, NBC news, 26 May 2025
Many teens and even older persons have been impacted, resulting in needless suffering and death.
—Robert Glatter, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Optimizing For Performance: To guarantee AI can get the appropriate data at the appropriate moment without needless latency or expenses, scalable infrastructure and effective data distribution methods should be put in place.
—Artyom Keydunov, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
After recent excursions that have felt lacking for various reasons — sub-optimal stage design (Hungary, 2022), distance from Italy (Jerusalem, 2018), and a needless trip to one of cycling’s existing heartlands (Netherlands, 2016) — Albania was a vast improvement.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for needless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needless
unnecessary
Adjective
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These scans can detect benign anomalies that trigger unnecessary follow-ups and patient anxiety.—
Sindhya Valloppillil,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Court papers say the defendant, Farrukh Ali, conspired with at least 41 substance abuse clinics to bill the state for hundreds of millions of dollars for substance abuse services that were never provided, not provided as billed or were medically unnecessary.—
Ryan Lucas,
NPR,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Needless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needless. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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