Unnecessarily Meaning
/əˈnnɛsəˌsɛrəli/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
advIn an unnecessary way; not by necessity.
advTo an extent beyond what is needed.
Sentence Examples
There is no need to be unnecessarily anxious about the outbreak.
The manager was unnecessarily rough on him.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
None
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The decorator added extra pillows to the sofa ____, even though the room already had enough.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please do not make the task ____ difficult by trying to do everything at once without any proper planning today.
Word Origin & History
From unnecessary + -ly or un- + necessarily.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"There be […] lords that can prate
As amply and unnecessarily
As this Gonzalo;"
— 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
"Pray let not any-body unnecessarily be acquainted with this shocking affair;"
— 1753, Samuel Richardson, The History of Sir Charles Grandison, London, Volume 1, Letter 33, p. 235:
"“Wait a moment,” said he, quite unnecessarily, for she could not have stirred;"
— 1864 August – 1866 January, [Elizabeth] Gaskell, “A Crisis”, in Wives and Daughters. An Every-day Story. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], published 1866, →OCLC, pages 113-114:
"[…] they made good laws and kept the peace and saved good trees from being unnecessarily cut down,"
— 1950, C. S. Lewis, chapter 17, in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, New York: Macmillan:
"In the days of their [the Roman armies’] grandeur, when no enemy appeared capable of opposing them, their heavy armour was laid aside as unnecessarily burdensome, their laborious exercises were neglected as unnecessarily toilsome."
— 1776, Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, London: W. Strahan and T. Cadell, Volume 2, Book 5, Part 1, pp. 307-308:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The decorator added extra pillows to the sofa ____, even though the room already had enough.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please do not make the task ____ difficult by trying to do everything at once without any proper planning today.