inessential

adjective

in·​es·​sen·​tial ˌi-nə-ˈsen(t)-shəl How to pronounce inessential (audio)
1
: not essential : unessential
2
: having no essence
inessential noun

Examples of inessential in a Sentence

he writes very spare prose, with nary an inessential word to be found
Recent Examples on the Web
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Related Stories Business Disney, Amazon Ink Deal to Expand Advertising Partnership TV Corporate-TV Branding Has Gotten Out of Control Elio The Bottom Line Cute but inessential. Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2025 And even among the series' die-hard fans, most will admit that there are storylines, characters, or entire books that feel inessential or annoying or repetitive or sloggy or wheel-spinning. Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 28 May 2025 While Lamont points with pride to the large surpluses achieved during his tenure, critics say these weren’t inessential funds but rather were leeched from core programs that have been dangerously undermined. Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2025 When photography went digital, photo lab technicians and manual retouchers were suddenly as inessential as medieval scribes. Steven Kurutz, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for inessential

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of inessential was in 1677

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Cite this Entry

“Inessential.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inessential. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.

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