adv ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adverb

1. 1
   In a needless manner.
2. 2
   To a degree or extent beyond what is needed.

   "He was always needlessly anxious about his dog."

3. 3
   Without need.

   "He worried needlessly about his dog."

Adverb

1. 1
   without need wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

unnecessarilyaimlesslybeyond needbeyond reasonbootlesslyfecklessly

Example

More examples

"Her prose is full of needlessly florid, cliched descriptions, securing her career as a romance novelist."

Etymology

From needless + -ly.

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