Unnecessary Meaning
/ʌnˈnɛs.ə.s(ə)ɹɪ/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjNot needed or necessary.
adjDone in addition to requirements; unrequired.
Sentence Examples
If two men always have the same opinion, one of them is unnecessary.
The student decided to abridge his paper by taking out unnecessary details.
They were found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to animals.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor said the extra medication was ____ since the patient had already recovered.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The manager decided that the extra meeting was ____ and cancelled it to give everyone more time to work today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English necessary English unnecessary From un- + necessary.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Every possible economy was carefully investigated and unnecessary expense, however small, eliminated. The company had no money to spare on "frills.""
— 1956 September, 'Precursor', “The Dursley & Midland Junction Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 599:
"Robins, of Torquay, had denied a single charge of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. She claimed the microwave was accidentally turned on by one of the cats after the kitten got inside. But Knutton said the kitten was too small to even get onto the work surface."
— 2011 December 14, Steven Morris, “Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave”, in The Guardian:
"Yet some of the statin side effects mentioned in the study have not been proved in the scientific literature or are exaggerated and could cause unnecessary worry, he said."
— 2018 December 3, Jacqueline Howard, “Are statins overprescribed? Why the risks and benefits are so complex”, in CNN:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor said the extra medication was ____ since the patient had already recovered.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The manager decided that the extra meeting was ____ and cancelled it to give everyone more time to work today.