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Meaning & use

essential

adjective, noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ɪˈsenʃəl/
US/ɪˈsenʃəl/

Meanings

  1. adjectivenot comparable

    So important that you cannot do without it, because without it something would fail or not exist.

    Grammar: Often followed by for or to, or by a clause: it is essential that she arrive early.

    Patterns

    • essential for something
    • essential to something
    • it is essential that someone do something

    Regular sleep is essential for good health.

    It is essential that everyone arrives before the meeting begins.

    Clean water is essential to life.

  2. adjectivebefore a noun

    Forming the basic, defining nature of something.

    Grammar: Comes before a noun: the essential difference, an essential feature.

    The essential difference between the two plans is cost.

    Honesty is an essential part of her character.

    The essential feature of a good team is trust.

  3. adjectivebefore a nounbiologytechnical

    Describing a nutrient that the body cannot make for itself and must get from food.

    Grammar: Used in biology and nutrition: essential amino acids.

    Eight of the amino acids are essential, so you must eat them in your diet.

    Fish provides essential fatty acids for the brain.

    The doctor explained which vitamins are essential.

  4. nounusually plural

    Something that is basic and needed, often in the plural.

    Grammar: Usually plural: the essentials, travel essentials.

    Patterns

    • the essentials of something

    She packed only the essentials: a passport, a charger and a change of clothes.

    The class covers the essentials of first aid.

    Food and water are the essentials after a storm.

Word forms

pluralessentials

Common combinations

absolutely essential
A good map is absolutely essential on this hike.
essential for
Vitamin D is essential for strong bones.
an essential ingredient
Patience is an essential ingredient in teaching.
essential services
Hospitals and the fire department are essential services.
essential oil
She added a drop of lavender essential oil to the bath.
an essential part
Practice is an essential part of learning to play an instrument.

Synonyms and how they differ

vital
Vital is even stronger and suggests life or death importance, so it fits survival and urgent situations better than essential.
necessary
Necessary only says something is needed, and it can be mild, whereas essential means you absolutely cannot manage without it.
crucial
Crucial stresses that a decision or factor will decide the outcome, while essential means required for something to exist or work.
indispensable
Indispensable is a formal word for something or someone you cannot do without, often a person or tool, and it is slightly more personal than essential.

Opposites

unnecessaryoptionalnonessential

Word family

essence noun
the most basic and important quality of something
essentially adverb
in the most basic way, or basically
essentials noun
the necessary things
nonessential adjective
not needed

Commonly confused: essential or necessary?

essential vs necessary

Necessary means needed, but it can describe small requirements. Essential describes things so important that nothing works without them.

Practice

Regular sleep is essential ___ good health.

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