unnecessary
Americanadjective
noun
plural
unnecessariesadjective
Other Word Forms
- unnecessarily adverb
- unnecessariness noun
Etymology
Origin of unnecessary
Explanation
Anything that is extra or not needed is unnecessary. Wearing long underwear in July is an unnecessary precaution against being cold. If you don't need something, it's unnecessary. You take an unnecessary risk if you get in the car and don't bother to fasten your seatbelt. Driving your car when you could ride a bike instead is an unnecessary use of gasoline. If you keep dropping you pen in class, your teacher might say, "That's unnecessary." Walking your dog with two leashes is definitely unnecessary. That's obvious, but lots of times it's hard to tell what's necessary and what's unnecessary.
Vocabulary lists containing unnecessary
List 3
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List 9
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"New Michigan Graduation Requirements Shortchange Many Students"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Making PE a core subject in schools and removing unnecessary 'no ball games' signs are among the recommendations in a new report looking at barriers to sport and physical activity in England.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026
It’s a move that feels unnecessary for a show that can still steer the conversation, not follow behind it.
From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026
The light levels are distressingly low—low enough to protect sensitive works on paper or a woven carpet but unnecessary for oil paintings.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
But ER visits for vertigo commonly result in unnecessary diagnostic tests, adding to costs with limited added benefit, according to the Northwestern study, with 28% of patients receiving a CT scan.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
Although Mother’s condition made the announcement unnecessary, he came out with it anyway.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
