unnecessarily

adverb

un·​nec·​es·​sar·​i·​ly ˌən-ˌne-sə-ˈser-ə-lē How to pronounce unnecessarily (audio)
: not by necessity : to an unnecessary degree
unnecessarily harsh criticism

Examples of unnecessarily in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Color panic keeps sending people to urgent care unnecessarily. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026 Sizing across brands, especially in women’s wear, has never been consistent, not in any decade, and this one factor can make finding the right vintage piece unnecessarily difficult. — Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Further, Kushner could insist that UEFA is using the legal process to unnecessarily burden him with demands that ought to be made by Swiss prosecutors and courts. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 27 Aug. 2026 For years, America's been in the chokehold of unnecessarily oversized pickup trucks, but recent announcements of new vehicles show that common sense – and more reasonably proportioned utes – may soon prevail. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unnecessarily

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unnecessarily was in 1565

Rhymes for unnecessarily

See All Rhymes for unnecessarily

Browse Nearby Words

unnecessaries
unnecessarily
unnecessariness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unnecessarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unnecessarily. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

unnecessarily

adverb
un·​nec·​es·​sar·​i·​ly ˌən-ˌnes-ə-ˈser-ə-lē How to pronounce unnecessarily (audio)
1
: not by necessity
spent money unnecessarily
2
: to an unnecessary degree
an unnecessarily harsh punishment
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