Meaning & use
unneeded
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Not required, either because there is already enough or because nothing calls for it.
Grammar: Goes before a noun or after be: unneeded items, the item was unneeded.
Patterns
- unneeded by someone
- an unneeded extra
We donated the unneeded furniture to a charity shop.
Delete any unneeded files to free up space.
She felt unneeded once her children left home.
Common combinations
- unneeded expense
- The extra insurance was an unneeded expense.
- unneeded items
- Please remove unneeded items from the shelf.
- feel unneeded
- Retirement made him feel unneeded.
- unneeded complexity
- The form adds unneeded complexity.
- unneeded files
- He cleared out the unneeded files.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unnecessary
- Unnecessary is the more common and stronger word, implying something should not have been done at all.
- superfluous
- Superfluous is formal and implies something is excess to what is already enough.
- surplus
- Surplus describes an extra quantity left over, whereas unneeded can describe a single item.
- redundant
- Redundant suggests something repeats what is already there and could be removed.
Opposites
Word family
- need verb
- to require
- need noun
- something required
- needed adjective
- required
- needless adjective
- not necessary
- needlessly adverb
- without any need
Commonly confused: unneeded or unnecessary?
unneeded vs unnecessary
Unnecessary says something was not required at all, while unneeded often means just not required right now.
Practice
Before moving, Lena sold all the ___ furniture that would not fit in her new flat.
Choose one answer.
Unneeded furniture is furniture she no longer requires. Essential and valuable would be kept, and borrowed furniture could not be sold.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unneeded”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.