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
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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for inessential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inessential
unnecessary
Adjective
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The company believes separating trim functions from full system startup could improve convenience and reduce unnecessary power use.
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Increasing staff at medical facilities during heat waves could also prevent unnecessary deaths.
Cite this Entry
“Inessential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inessential. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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