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
For 35 years Brazilian political elites have viewed nuclear armament as both unnecessary and counterproductive, given Brazil’s peaceful foreign policy, emphasis on multilateralism, and the Tlatelolco Treaty making Latin America a nuclear-weapons-free zone.
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Oliver Stuenkel, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
Relying on your vehicle's maintenance minder can help avoid aggressive or unnecessary service recommendations from dealerships.
—John Paul, The Providence Journal, 9 Jan. 2026
The companies say the design addresses a growing challenge in autonomous vehicle interiors, where traditional steering systems become unnecessary and restrict cabin space.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Jan. 2026
The shorter the ingredient list, the less room there is for unnecessary additives like stabilizers, sweeteners, or fillers that diminish the natural nutrition of the peanuts themselves.
—Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unnecessary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnecessary
Adjective
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And although lightweight, the shoe doesn’t compromise on support — it’s designed with a memory foam sole that absorbs impact and provides an extra layer of padding.—
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While there are plenty of bandages, wraps, and tapes, extra items such as an emergency thermal blanket, flashlights, sting relief, burn compression, and other items elevate this kit to support a variety of solutions.—
Adjective
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For debris handling, Beatbot highlights an ultra-large six-liter debris capacity with fine filtration, and its CES release describes an optional three-micron ultra-fine filter for tighter particle capture.—
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The use of personal protective equipment is optional but encouraged for those who choose to wear it.—
Adjective
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Policing experts say officer who fired fatal shots may have placed himself at needless risk by standing in front of Renée Good’s vehicle.—
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Stay focused to avoid dividing your effort among needless minutiae.—
Adjective
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Sure, pundits and Twitter philosophers love to portray bowl games as irrelevant relics of the past that nobody cares about anymore.—
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The characters are lying, to themselves and to each other, but the role of the audience in believing or not believing their lies is totally irrelevant.—
Adjective
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Industry analysts warn that social stigma remains high and inflation threatens to curb spending on experimental, nonessential goods.—
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The company strips out nonessential systems and designs each component around mass reduction.—
Adjective
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However, videos taken by eyewitnesses have led many to decry the shooting as unwarranted.—
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Democrats pushed back, specifically leaders in New Orleans who said a deployment was unwarranted.—
Adjective
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The approach avoids reliance on a single lidar by layering redundant perception systems.—
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By using the latest design, HGP will have a much more advanced reactor with a simpler, more reliable design and layers of redundant, passive safety systems.—
Adjective
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Responsibility is hard, therefore, dispensable.—
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Hartenstein was invaluable for the Thunder in the conference semifinal victory over Denver, and dispensable at other points in the postseason.—
Cite this Entry
“Unnecessary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnecessary. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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