needless
Without any purpose
Needless means unnecessary—not needed or avoidable.
A needless expense could have been avoided.
Needless suffering serves no purpose.
The phrase needless to say introduces something obvious, though speakers often use it before information that actually does need saying: Needless to say, she was furious.
Not essential or required
- redundantExceeding what's needed
- dispensableAble to be sacrificed
- expendableAble to be sacrificed
- extraneousNot pertinent or essential
surplus · spare · excess · nonessential · inessential · optional · unrequired · avoidable
Given without necessity
- unwarrantedWithout adequate justification
- uncalled-forNot justified or necessary
- unjustifiedLacking adequate reason
- undueBeyond what's warranted
inordinate · wanton · unprovoked · unreasonable · disproportionate · immoderate · overblown · overmuch
Incapable of producing results
- vainExcessively proud or futile
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
- ineffectualFailing to achieve purpose
- ineffectiveLacking power to achieve
unproductive · worthless · senseless · purposeless · meaningless · useless · empty · hollow
unnecessary
Not essential or required
- redundantExceeding what's needed
- dispensableAble to be sacrificed
- expendableAble to be sacrificed
extraneous · surplus · spare · excess · nonessential · inessential · optional · unrequired · avoidable · eliminable
gratuitous
Given without necessity
- unwarrantedWithout adequate justification
- uncalled-forNot justified or necessary
- unjustifiedLacking adequate reason
undue · inordinate · wanton · unprovoked · unreasonable · disproportionate · immoderate · overblown · overmuch
futile
Incapable of producing results
- vainExcessively proud or futile
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
- ineffectualFailing to achieve purpose
ineffective · unproductive · worthless · senseless · purposeless · meaningless · useless · empty · hollow · idle
- nonessentialunnecessary, nonessential, inessential, dispensable, expendable
- futilefutile, useless, pointless, fruitless, vain
needlessnecessary
Indispensable, cannot omit
needed · essential · required · indispensable · vital
needlessuseful
Serving a purpose
beneficial · helpful · valuable · worthwhile · productive
- pins and needlesTingling in extremities
- threading the needleAchieving something requiring extreme precision
- needle in a haystackExtremely difficult thing to locate
- pine needlesThin evergreen leaves
- needless to sayPhrase preceding evident statements
- sewing needlePointed tool for stitching