unnecessarily

adverb

un·​nec·​es·​sar·​i·​ly ˌən-ˌne-sə-ˈser-ə-lē 

: not by necessity : to an unnecessary degree

unnecessarily harsh criticism

Examples of unnecessarily in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If these trade policies are longer lasting, the U.S. economy will be — unnecessarily — forced to absorb the biggest shock since 1971, when the U.S. left the gold standard. —Saul Mangel, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2025

Drunk or not, the vibe shifts fast, and the whole thing feels unnecessarily explosive. —Shelby Stewart, Essence, 31 Mar. 2025

Watch for malware that tries to access apps like Google Authenticator—do not keep them open in the background unnecessarily. 7. —Alex Vakulov, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025

Walking around it causes erosion, compacts soil, tramples vegetation, and unnecessarily widens the path. —Amelia Arvesen, Outside Online, 29 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unnecessarily

• extraordinarily
• hereditarily
• pecuniarily
• preliminarily
• airily
• caroli
• merrily
• verily
• warily
• wearily
• arbitrarily
• customarily

Kids Definition

unnecessarily

adverb

un·​nec·​es·​sar·​i·​ly ˌən-ˌnes-ə-ˈser-ə-lē 

1

: not by necessity

spent money unnecessarily

2

: to an unnecessary degree

an unnecessarily harsh punishment