Meaning & use

needless

adjective·Everyday

Not necessary and easily avoided with a little more care or foresight.

See it in a sentence

Turning back for the umbrella caused a needless delay before the trip.

He apologized for the needless worry his silence had caused his parents.

A note on using this word

Needless often appears in the fixed phrase 'needless to say,' meaning something is obvious enough not to require stating.

Words with a similar meaning

unnecessarypointless

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

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