as in unnecessary
not needed by the circumstances or to accomplish an end
don't pack any unessential items until we're sure we have room for everything we'll actually need
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Recent Examples of unessential
In all, the resort had one, unessential ski lift damaged, while a few ski patrol and maintenance shacks burned down.
—
Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024
If necessary to reach an agreement, Biden and Blinken should threaten to withhold additional weapons systems that have been implicated in civilian casualties in Gaza and deemed unessential to Israel’s security, such as white phosphorous shells.
—Andrew P. Miller, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2024
If no agreement occurs by September 30, the government will shut down all unessential services, ranging from air traffic controllers to staffers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who monitor for disease outbreaks.
—Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 27 Sep. 2023
Their reunion doesn’t last long, as Sarah can’t keep away from the Pogue life, and through another tangle of unessential details, the whole crew comes together to discover the Cross of Santo Domingo in the ceiling of an old church.
—Lauren Puckett-Pope, ELLE, 22 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for unessential
Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024
If necessary to reach an agreement, Biden and Blinken should threaten to withhold additional weapons systems that have been implicated in civilian casualties in Gaza and deemed unessential to Israel’s security, such as white phosphorous shells.
—Andrew P. Miller, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2024
If no agreement occurs by September 30, the government will shut down all unessential services, ranging from air traffic controllers to staffers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who monitor for disease outbreaks.
—Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 27 Sep. 2023
Their reunion doesn’t last long, as Sarah can’t keep away from the Pogue life, and through another tangle of unessential details, the whole crew comes together to discover the Cross of Santo Domingo in the ceiling of an old church.
—Lauren Puckett-Pope, ELLE, 22 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for unessential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unessential
unnecessary
Adjective
-
Every day of delay creates unnecessary disruption.—
Laura Layden,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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The same goes for electronics, such as faulty alarm clocks in guest rooms, and other items, such as broken or unnecessary remote controllers for the television.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unessential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unessential. Accessed 25 Nov. 2025.
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