as in unnecessary
not needed by the circumstances or to accomplish an end
money's tight, so we'll have to skip nonessential purchases
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in extravagance
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nonessential
Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 17 Feb. 2026
Those practicing this movement avoid purchasing nonessential items and instead rely on reuse, borrowing, repairing, thrifting, and sharing within their communities.
—Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Feb. 2026
Caitlyn Kim, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nonessential
Adjective
If someone drastically limits caloric intake or routinely goes 24 hours without eating, the body shifts energy toward essential biological processes and away from nonessential ones, Rossi says.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 17 Feb. 2026
Those practicing this movement avoid purchasing nonessential items and instead rely on reuse, borrowing, repairing, thrifting, and sharing within their communities.
—Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Feb. 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
-
So that's unnecessary traffic that comes through.—
Veronica Ortega,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
As my diagnostic experience illustrates, many of us are told that memory changes are normal aging and that pushing for answers is unnecessary.—
Shon Lowe,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Other details on the interiors are scarce (for now), but Lazzara says the focus onboard is not about extravagance, but design continuity throughout each and every space on the new vessel—and having enough space to truly wind, too.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
4 Mar. 2026
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That the anniversary of the nation’s founding ought to be celebrated with especial extravagance every fifty or a hundred years, a tradition that the unlikely President Ford inherited, is an idea that started in 1826, the jubilee of independence.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Variety attended alongside 2,000 actors auditioning for roles ranging from extras to series regulars.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Read on to discover the highlights, the extras, and the one that stole my heart.—
Alexandra Ditch,
Vogue,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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The detainees describe a camp where an average of about 3,000 people have lived per day in loud and unsanitary quarters, diseases spread easily and sleep is a luxury.—
Morgan Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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The hotel's opening is part of the master plan for Takanawa Gateway City, which also includes offices and luxury residences, in addition to dining, cultural, community, and retail spaces, such as Newoman, a shopping mall next door.—
Lois Alter Mark,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Usually, such situations are due to some sort of island sickness or reward feast over-indulgence after weeks of not eating normal food.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
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While Silversea and Seabourn straddle the line between luxury and expedition, a pair of high‑end specialists cater directly to travelers seeking adventure wrapped in indulgence.—
David Dickstein,
Oc Register,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nonessential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonessential. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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