adj, noun ·4 syllables ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Something that is not essential.
2. 2
   anything that is not essential wordnet

Adjective

1. 1
   Not required; not essential. not-comparable

   "Codex entries provide additional but nonessential information about topics of interest in Mass Effect."

Adjective

1. 1
   not of prime or central importance wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

inessentialaccessoryaccidentaccidentalaccidentaladdendum

Antonyms

All antonyms

essentialmandatorynecessaryrequired

Example

More examples

"They plan to evacuate all nonessential personnel from the embassy."

Etymology

From non- + essential.

Related phrases

nonessential amino acid

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