unnecessarily

adverb

un·​nec·​es·​sar·​i·​ly ˌən-ˌne-sə-ˈser-ə-lē How to pronounce unnecessarily (audio)
: not by necessity : to an unnecessary degree
unnecessarily harsh criticism

Examples of unnecessarily in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Landlord representatives said lawyers would use those motions to drag out cases unnecessarily. Calmatters, The Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2024 Otherwise, Ewers made no critical mistakes or didn’t put the ball in harm’s way unnecessarily. The Athletic College Football Staff, The Athletic, 21 Dec. 2024 Growing the field beyond 68 teams would water down the tournament with additional power-conference mediocrity, further devalue the regular season and unnecessarily lengthen what's now a three-week event. Blake Toppmeyer, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024 The last time around, the naive abdication of the requirements of national defense made reviving the arsenal of democracy on a short timeline unnecessarily difficult. Mitch McConnell, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for unnecessarily 

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unnecessarily was in 1565

Dictionary Entries Near unnecessarily

Cite this Entry

“Unnecessarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unnecessarily. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

unnecessarily

adverb
un·​nec·​es·​sar·​i·​ly ˌən-ˌnes-ə-ˈser-ə-lē How to pronounce unnecessarily (audio)
1
: not by necessity
spent money unnecessarily
2
: to an unnecessary degree
an unnecessarily harsh punishment

More from Merriam-Webster on unnecessarily

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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