English Dictionary

INESSENTIAL

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

 Dictionary entry overview: What does inessential mean? 

INESSENTIAL (noun)
  The noun INESSENTIAL has 1 sense:

1. anything that is not essentialplay

  Familiarity information: INESSENTIAL used as a noun is very rare.


INESSENTIAL (adjective)
  The adjective INESSENTIAL has 2 senses:

1. not basic or fundamentalplay

2. not absolutely necessaryplay

  Familiarity information: INESSENTIAL used as an adjective is rare.


 Dictionary entry details 


INESSENTIAL (noun)


Sense 1

Meaning:

Anything that is not essential

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

inessential; nonessential

Context example:

they discarded all their inessentials

Hypernyms ("inessential" is a kind of...):

thing (a separate and self-contained entity)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "inessential"):

adjunct (something added to another thing but not an essential part of it)

Antonym:

essential (anything indispensable)


INESSENTIAL (adjective)


Sense 1

Meaning:

Not basic or fundamental

Synonyms:

inessential; unessential

Similar:

accessorial (nonessential but helpful)

adscititious (supplemental; not part of the real or essential nature of a thing)

accidental; incidental; nonessential (not of prime or central importance)

Also:

dispensable (capable of being dispensed with or done without)

expendable (suitable to be expended)

unimportant (not important)

extrinsic (not forming an essential part of a thing or arising or originating from the outside)

unnecessary; unneeded (not necessary)

secondary (being of second rank or importance or value; not direct or immediate)

Attribute:

essentiality; essentialness (basic importance)

Antonym:

essential (basic and fundamental)

Derivation:

inessentiality (not of basic importance)


Sense 2

Meaning:

Not absolutely necessary

Similar:

unnecessary; unneeded (not necessary)


 Context examples 


And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors' eyes—a fresh, green breast of the new world.

(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes straight to the bone." (English proverb)

"Poor people have big TVs. Rich people have big libraries." (unknown source)

"Thought he was a great catch, turns out he is a shackle." (Arabic proverb)

"He who seeks, finds." (Corsican proverb)



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