as in extra
not needed by the circumstances or to accomplish an end
that large suitcase is unnecessary—we are only going to be away for a couple of days
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unnecessary
Craig and Daniel’s model breaks from traditional approaches by rejecting unnecessary challenges and habits that can lead to further procrastination rather than improvement.
—
Kody Boye, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2025
That sparked a furor among lawmakers, advocacy groups and program recipients who are worried that the government is placing unnecessary barriers in front of an already vulnerable population.
—arkansasonline.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Your kids will be steamrolled using the momentum that’s building right now with red markers writing over figures deemed unnecessary.
—Rob Gagnon, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025
Be prepared for a communication breakdown — text messages may not make it to the right person, your plans may get completely derailed and all that fiery energy might translate into unnecessary confrontations or snap decisions.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unnecessary
Kody Boye, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2025
That sparked a furor among lawmakers, advocacy groups and program recipients who are worried that the government is placing unnecessary barriers in front of an already vulnerable population.
—arkansasonline.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Your kids will be steamrolled using the momentum that’s building right now with red markers writing over figures deemed unnecessary.
—Rob Gagnon, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025
Be prepared for a communication breakdown — text messages may not make it to the right person, your plans may get completely derailed and all that fiery energy might translate into unnecessary confrontations or snap decisions.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unnecessary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnecessary
Adjective
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One of these absolutes is that idea that having walkable cities or towns means no cars, fewer cars, extra taxes or tolls on cars—basically any notion that feels like a punishment to car drivers.—
Megha Satyanarayana,
Scientific American,
21 Mar. 2025
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Glass nails are meant to add a reflective mirror quality to nails, which can be captured with glazed, pearly, cat-eye, or jelly nail colors that give a little something extra to your usual neutral or other go-to shades.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Ginger, black pepper, and orange juice are optional but carry greater health benefits when consumed together, said Jamie Mok, MS, RDN, a registered dietician and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.—
Caitlin Pagán,
Verywell Health,
19 Mar. 2025
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With optional features such as skin tone, hair color, glasses, mustache, freckles and appropriate military branch uniform, the dolls can be ordered to look like the parent.—
Elizabeth Marie Himchak,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Plus, taking action after a test can sometimes lead to unnecessary follow-up testing, as well as needless spending and anxiety.—
Kristen Fischer,
Health,
14 Mar. 2025
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Trump's Department of Government Efficiency [DOGE] had identified the foundation as a needless expense for the federal government.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The weather’s getting warmer in Montreal, playoff weather, a time of year this group is used to looking for external, irrelevant sources of motivation to play out the string.—
Arpon Basu,
The Athletic,
16 Mar. 2025
-
Too long to weed through red herrings and convolutions in the mystery that eventually border on irrelevant.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The agency has identified $150 million in savings by canceling nonessential IT contracts.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
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The pullbacks in nonessential areas like restaurants and airline travel signals consumers might be turning their concerns about the economy into tighter budgets.—
Austin Denean,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The fact that this is the biggest scandal people can pull from this show is further proof that the excessive disdain is unwarranted.—
Alanna Bennett,
refinery29.com,
14 Mar. 2025
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But the person who played a pivotal role in bringing her to the court tells The Gavel the criticism is unwarranted.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In my experience, lengthy paperwork and redundant requests are a top frustration among policyholders, making simplification a critical priority.—
Meeri Savolainen,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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Other changes include a redundant system consisting of two electric engines powered by independent fuel cell systems with a larger, 2.4MW capacity.—
Michael Verdon,
Robb Report,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
To the Soviet state, the lives and the health of the local population in these remote areas were dispensable.—
Franziska Exeler,
The Dial,
18 Feb. 2025
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But last night’s halftime show painted Drake as a dispensable henchman and America as the ultimate adversary.—
Clover Hope,
Pitchfork,
10 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unnecessary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnecessary. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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