as in unnecessary
not needed by the circumstances or to accomplish an end
money's tight, so we'll have to skip nonessential purchases
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in extravagance
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nonessential
Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 27 Mar. 2026
The International Energy Agency has advised working from home, carpooling or using public transportation and cutting out nonessential travel to decrease fuel demand and ease oil prices.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
Caitlyn Kim, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nonessential
Adjective
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a domestic travel advisory for people in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut due to high community transmission of COVID-19 in those states, urging residents to refrain from all nonessential domestic travel for at least 14 days.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 27 Mar. 2026
The International Energy Agency has advised working from home, carpooling or using public transportation and cutting out nonessential travel to decrease fuel demand and ease oil prices.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
Anything deemed nonessential would be put on hold, so Americans could experience delays with certain services and hundreds of thousands of federal workers will go without pay.
—Caitlyn Kim, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nonessential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonessential
Adjective
-
The best iterations of this event over the past half-century have culminated in victories by global superstars whose surnames are unnecessary.—
Jason Sobel,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Doing so is not an effort against the environment but one in favor of addressing our housing crisis and cutting unnecessary bureaucracy.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For even in extravagance, subtlety was key.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
David’s Bridal is known for its relative affordability in an industry rife with extravagance.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Lake Ridge goes extras to beat Weatherford Mansfield Lake Ridge tied it with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning and then scored on a walk-off error in the eighth to beat Weatherford 2-1 in a District 3-6A game on Tuesday night at Lake Ridge High School.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
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The game featured 30 fouls total and garnered three red cards — one per team that seemed fair, plus an extra to the Rapids that felt harsh in the moment and contributed most to the outcome.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Cullinan, which went on sale in 2018 and is now in its second generation, oozes superfluity, and that's totally fine.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The 6,500-square-foot three-story contemporary is minimalist in decor but teeming with superfluities, including an elevator, a first-floor gym, a screening room, an infrared sauna and a master-bedroom walk-in closet bigger (and tidier) than my SoHo apartment.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
This charming town on Lake Michigan has emerged as a surprising luxury hotspot, with 53 percent of listings now surpassing $1 million.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The photos of the pair were taken at a hotel in Sedona, Arizona, and show them together poolside, in a hot tub and on a rooftop deck at the Ambiente luxury hotel.—
Meriam Bouarrouj,
NBC news,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Amid such a tumult of exertion and indulgence, the art of directing may seem like an afterthought or a footnote to the sheer volume of creative work that occurs even when the camera isn’t rolling.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The MorphoScan’s measurements ebbed and flowed from day to day as expected, with my weight dropping the day after a cardio workout and increasing after a weekend of indulgence.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nonessential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonessential. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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