nonessential

N1O1N1E1S1S1E1N1T1I1A1L1

adjective

Not required; not essential.

Similar
incidentalaccidentalinessentialunessential
Opposite
essentialrequirednecessarymandatory
OriginEnglish essential ← Late Latin essentiālis ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? →
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

adjectivenonessential (not comparable)

alternative non-essential

  1. not comparableNot required; not essential.

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

    2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Mission Computer
nounnonessential (plural nonessentials)

plural nonessentials · alternative non-essential

  1. Something that is not essential.

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
essentialrequirednecessarymandatory

adjectivenot of prime or central importance

Similar
incidentalaccidentalinessentialunessential

nounanything that is not essential

Similar
inessential
Broader
thing
Also see
accidentaldispensablegashincidentalinessentialnoncrucialredundantunessential

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Germanic*ne
  3. Proto-Indo-European*ís?
  4. Proto-Indo-European*h₁óynos
  5. Proto-Germanic*ainaz
  6. Proto-Germanic*nainaz
  7. Proto-West Germanic*nain
  8. Old Englishnān
  9. Middle Englishnon
  10. Old Englishnān
  11. Old Englishnān-
  12. Middle Englishnon-
  13. Englishnon-
  14. Proto-Indo-European*h₁es-
  15. Proto-Indo-European*h₁ésti
  16. Proto-Indo-European*bʰuH-
  17. Proto-Indo-European*bʰúHt
  18. Proto-Italic*ezom~*som
  19. Old Latinesum
  20. Latinsum
  21. Latin*essēns
  22. Latinessentia
  23. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  24. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  25. Late Latinessentiālis
  26. Englishessential
  27. Englishnonessential

From non- + essential.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian несъществен
  • несъществен (nesăštestven)not essential
Finnish ei-välttämätön
  • ei-välttämätönnot essential
German nichtessentiell
  • nichtessentiellnot essential
Slovak nepodstatný, postrádateľný
  • nepodstatnýnot essential
  • postrádateľnýnot essential
  • neesenciálnynot essential
Cite this entry
APA

nonessential. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nonessential

MLA

“nonessential.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nonessential. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nonessential,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nonessential.

Source: nonessential on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.