- 1not needed; more than is needed synonym unjustified unnecessary expense They were found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to animals. All this fuss is totally unnecessary. opposite necessary
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- 2(of remarks, etc.) not needed in the situation and likely to be offensive synonym uncalled for That last comment was a little unnecessary, wasn't it?
NAmE//ˌʌnnɛsəˈsɛrəli//
adverb There's no point worrying him unnecessarily. unnecessarily complicated instructionsSee unnecessary in the Oxford Advanced Learner's DictionaryCheck pronunciation: unnecessary