Unnecessary: meaning, definitions and examples

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unnecessary

 

[ ʌnˈnes.ɪ.sər.i ]

Adjective
Oxford 3000
Context #1 | Adjective

in a situation where it is not needed

Not needed or necessary; superfluous.

Synonyms

excessive, extra, superfluous, unneeded

Examples of usage

  • It seemed unnecessary to go to the police.
  • Many of these drugs are unnecessary and potentially harmful.
  • It is unnecessary for you to come here every day.
  • The teacher asked us not to make unnecessary noise in the classroom.
  • The extra paperwork is unnecessary and time-consuming.

Translations

Translations of the word "unnecessary" in other languages:

🇵🇹 desnecessário

🇮🇳 अनावश्यक

🇩🇪 unnötig

🇮🇩 tidak perlu

🇺🇦 непотрібний

🇵🇱 niepotrzebny

🇯🇵 不要な (ふような)

🇫🇷 inutile

🇪🇸 innecesario

🇹🇷 gereksiz

🇰🇷 불필요한 (bulpilyohan)

🇸🇦 غير ضروري

🇨🇿 zbytečný

🇸🇰 nepotrebný

🇨🇳 不必要的 (bù bìyào de)

🇸🇮 nepotreben

🇮🇸 óþarfur

🇰🇿 қажетсіз

🇬🇪 აუცილებელი

🇦🇿 lazımsız

🇲🇽 innecesario

Etymology

The word 'unnecessary' dates back to the 15th century, derived from the prefix 'un-' meaning 'not' and the word 'necessary'. It has been used in English to convey the idea of something not needed or essential.

See also: necessarily, unnecessarily.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #3,309, this word is part of upper-intermediate vocabulary. While not among the most basic terms, it appears often enough to be valuable for advanced communication.