adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Something that is not essential often, plural
2. 2
   anything that is not essential wordnet

Adjective

1. 1
   Not essential. not-comparable

   "Leave inessential items behind when there is a fire alarm."

2. 2
   Lacking essence or being. not-comparable

Adjective

1. 1
   not basic or fundamental wordnet
2. 2
   not absolutely necessary wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

nonessentialunnecessaryaccessorialaccessoryaccidentaccidental

Antonyms

All antonyms

essentialexistentextantrequisite

Example

More examples

"Leave inessential items behind when there is a fire alarm."

Etymology

From in- + essential.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.