as in unnecessary
not needed by the circumstances or to accomplish an end
he writes very spare prose, with nary an inessential word to be found
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Recent Examples of inessential
As inessential as the film was, the song felt like a comfortable fit alongside the group’s best material.
—
William Earl, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
Won’t someone, even an inessential young reporter played by Myha’la, poke into the alleged scam?
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
But the team behind the image conversion seemingly used footage without a bunch of the usual postproduction edits—hence the appearance of inessential elements like those dutiful barf wranglers and, in the background of a different shot, contemporary store signage.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2025
What really keeps Luang Prabang so low-key is the perception, among travelers, of its being inessential; the town has become special because it’s not been considered special enough.
—Hanya Yanagihara, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2018
See All Example Sentences for inessential
William Earl, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
Won’t someone, even an inessential young reporter played by Myha’la, poke into the alleged scam?
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
But the team behind the image conversion seemingly used footage without a bunch of the usual postproduction edits—hence the appearance of inessential elements like those dutiful barf wranglers and, in the background of a different shot, contemporary store signage.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2025
What really keeps Luang Prabang so low-key is the perception, among travelers, of its being inessential; the town has become special because it’s not been considered special enough.
—Hanya Yanagihara, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2018
See All Example Sentences for inessential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inessential
unnecessary
Adjective
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Smart irrigation sensors can help prevent unnecessary watering after storms.—
Erica Browne Grivas,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 May 2026
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Johansson and Robbins say the goal of the blood test is not to replace CT scans, which are effective but expensive and may expose people to unnecessary amounts of radiation if they are used broadly in a large population.—
Alice Park,
Time,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inessential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inessential. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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