nonessential
Fine without it
Nonessential describes something not strictly necessary—it can be removed without fundamental loss.
During budget cuts, nonessential spending gets eliminated first.
In grammar, a nonessential clause adds information but isn't required for the sentence's core meaning.
Nonessential travel became a household phrase during pandemic lockdowns.
The noun form refers to something dispensable: We packed only the essentials and left the nonessentials behind.
Exceeding what suffices
- redundantExceeding what's needed
- dispensableAble to be sacrificed
- unneededNot required at all
- gratuitousGiven without necessity
excessive · surplus · needless · extraneous · expendable · eliminable · cuttable · skippable
Lacking significance or weight
- minorScale with lowered third
- insignificantLacking importance or consequence
- inconsequentialLacking significance or impact
- negligibleToo small to consider
petty · trifling · frivolous · paltry · piddling · nugatory · footling · fiddling
Not mandatory
- electiveChosen, not mandated
- discretionarySubject to personal judgment
- voluntaryDone by choice
- noncompulsoryNot required by rule
nonmandatory · choosable · selectable · add-on · upgrade · extra · supplementary · additional
Expensive nonessential comfort
- indulgenceYielding to desire
- splurgeSpend freely, impulsively
- extravaganceExcessive, wasteful spending
- frillSuperfluous adornment
amenity · perk · treat · nice-to-have · creature comfort · refinement · embellishment · ornament
External computer add-on
- secondaryLesser in rank
- ancillaryProviding additional support
- incidentalMinor and unplanned
- accessorySupplementary addition
subordinate · tangential · auxiliary · adjunct · supporting · complementary · collateral · side
superfluous
Exceeding what suffices
- redundantExceeding what's needed
- dispensableAble to be sacrificed
- unneededNot required at all
gratuitous · excessive · surplus · needless · extraneous · expendable · eliminable · cuttable · skippable · removable
trivial
Lacking significance or weight
- minorScale with lowered third
- insignificantLacking importance or consequence
- inconsequentialLacking significance or impact
negligible · petty · trifling · frivolous · paltry · piddling · negligible · nugatory · footling · fiddling
optional
Not mandatory
- electiveChosen, not mandated
- discretionarySubject to personal judgment
- voluntaryDone by choice
noncompulsory · nonmandatory · choosable · selectable · add-on · upgrade · extra · supplementary · additional · customizable
luxury
Expensive nonessential comfort
- indulgenceYielding to desire
- splurgeSpend freely, impulsively
- extravaganceExcessive, wasteful spending
frill · amenity · perk · treat · nice-to-have · creature comfort · refinement · embellishment · ornament · flourish
peripheral
External computer add-on
- secondaryLesser in rank
- ancillaryProviding additional support
- incidentalMinor and unplanned
accessory · subordinate · tangential · auxiliary · adjunct · supporting · complementary · collateral · side · background
- "Non-" wordsnonprofit, nonfiction, nonstop, nonsense, nonfat
- Insignificant thingstrivial, minor, small, tiny, negligible
- nonessentialunnecessary, unneeded, dispensable, expendable, superfluous
- low-prioritylow-priority, noncritical, deferrable, secondary, optional
- prioritypriority, top priority, high priority, low-priority, first priority
nonessentialessential
Fundamentally necessary
necessary · required · needed · indispensable · vital
nonessentialcrucial
Of supreme importance
critical · all-important · important · significant · paramount
nonessentialurgent
Needing immediate attention
pressing · imperative · acute · immediate · time-sensitive