Meaning & use
essential
Necessary for something to exist, work, or succeed.
See it in a sentence
Clean water is essential for the seedlings to survive.
A working microphone is essential for this outdoor performance.
A note on using this word
Essential is stronger than useful or helpful. Essential for and essential to are both common patterns.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
unnecessaryoptional
Make it your own
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