Dictionary

essential en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ɪˈsɛn.ʃəl/ (Canada, UK)
• /ɪˈsɛn.ʃəl/ (US)
• /əˈsɛn.tʃəl/ (US)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Late Latin essentiālis, from Latin essentia (“being, essence”).

Meanings

1. Necessary.
   • Thus, research-based resources with the potential to assist teachers prepare secondary students for tertiary education are essential. 2018, Clarence Green, James Lambert, “Advancing disciplinary literacy through English for academic purposes: Discipline-specific wordlists, collocations and word families for eight secondary subjects”, in Journal of English for Academic Purposes, volume 35, →DOI, page 105:
   • There’s canker at the root, your seed Denies the blessing of the sun, The light essential to your need. Your hopes are murdered and undone. 1941, Theodore Roethke, “Feud”, in Open House, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →OCLC; republished in The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke, London: Faber and Faber […], 1968, →OCLC, page 4:
2. Very important; of high importance.
   • In order to grant the rich these pleasures, the social contract is reconfigured. The welfare state is dismantled. Essential public services are cut so that the rich may pay less tax. […] 2013 May 17, George Monbiot, “Money just makes the rich suffer”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 23, page 19:
   • I see it as essential that there should be somewhere to park.
3. Necessary for survival but not synthesized by the organism, thus needing to be ingested.
4. Being in the basic form; showing its essence.
   • Don’t mind him being grumpy. That’s the essential Fred.
5. Really existing; existent.
   • Or is it true, that thou art but a bare name, / And no eſſential thing? 1612–1613 (date written), John Webster, The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy. […], London: […] Nicholas Okes, for Iohn Waterson, […], published 1623, →OCLC, Act III, scene ii:
6. Such that each complementary region is irreducible, the boundary of each complementary region is incompressible by disks and monogons in the complementary region, and no leaf is a sphere or a torus bounding a solid torus in the manifold.
7. Idiopathic.
   • essential blepharospasm
8. Having the nature of essence; not physical.
   • It is usually allowed that there is the natural body, as St. Paul called it, which is dissolved at death, and the etheric or spiritual body which survives and functions upon an etheric plane. Those are the essential things. But we may really have as many coats as an onion and there may be a mental body which may shed itself at any spot where great mental or emotional strain has been experienced. 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “In which Three Investigators Come across a Dark Soul”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

Forms

Antonyms

unnecessary · picayune · for the birds · slight · simple · insignificant · piddly · meager · negligible · ignorable · floccinaucinihilipilificatious · nothingburger · paltry · unimportant · extraneous · inconsiderable · adscititious · incidental · trivial · idle · accessorial · inexistent · nondescript · inessential · ticky-tacky · null · silly · pissass · two-bit · picayunish · base · null · external · unneeded · extinct · futile · nonessential · immaterial · absent · inessential · worthless · contemptible · wretched · mean · beingless · minor · piddling · adscititious · unessential · miserable · zilch · unweighty · pissant · accidental · inconsequential · pitiful · foolish · piteous · pointless · frivolous · trifling · non-essential · unimportant · like a fart in a windstorm · tin-pot · vain · petty · extrinsic · nonexistent · accidental · indifferent

Deriveds

essentialize · quintessential · non-essential prime implicant · essential nutrient · quasiessential · essentialism · essential thrombocythemia · essential salt · essentialness · essentialization · coessential · essential supremum · essential clause · essential mesh · essential property · essentially · subessential · semiessential · non-essential amino acid · superessential · essential infimum · essential oil · essentialist · essential tremor · essentiality · essential prime implicant · essential fatty acid · essential amino acid · bioessential · essential worker

Synonyms

slimline · indispensable · economy · heavy · needed · default · existent · bargain · run-of-the-mill · necessitous · epochful · fatesome · consequential · necessary · observable · elemental · essential · essential · central · fateful · unembellished · intrinsic · noticeable · unmodified · discreet · remarkable · necessar · weighty · stripped down · pivotal · required · bare · cheap · essential · austere · crucial · innegligible · extant · crucial · vital · requisite · elementary · essential · significant · life-or-death · uncomplicated · key · pure · noted · fundamental · standard · high on the totem pole · stripped · integral · necessary · bare-bones · foundational · unvarnished · salient · essential · relevant · existing · plain · ingrained · indispensable · infused · built-in · light · inborn · valuable · vanilla · incomplex · immanent · simple · meaningful · critical · inherent · paramount · modest · spartan · radical · no-frills · rudimentary · restrained · outstanding · basic · inbuilt · fatefraught · uninvolved · historic · extraordinary · pertinent · prerequisite · inwrought · big · unignorable · basic · resident

Translations (148)

id esensial (of high importance) · hi अनिवार्य (necessary) · be неабхо́дны (necessary) · ru необходи́мый (necessary) · de fundamental (in basic form) · uk істо́тний (of high importance) · ko 필수적인 (necessary) · de unentbehrlich (of high importance) · ja 肝心な (in basic form) · ka აუცილებელი (necessary) · pl niezbędny (necessary) · ca essencial (of high importance) · cmn 切要 (of high importance) · cs nejdůležitější (of high importance) · az vacib (necessary) · cy hanfodol (of high importance) · bn মৌলিক (in basic form) · nl belangrijk (of high importance) · fi olennainen (of high importance) · ru суще́ственный (of high importance) · de essenziell (necessary) · ro important (of high importance) · bg ва́жен (of high importance) · de unverzichtbar (necessary) · cmn 必備 /必备 (necessary) · de eigentlich (in basic form) · ca essencial (necessary) · uk основни́й (in basic form) · pt essencial (in basic form) · es esencial (necessary) · bn অতি জরুরি (of high importance) · hi मौलिक (in basic form) · de wirklich (in basic form) · ka არსებითი (necessary) · gl esencial (necessary) · bg необходи́м (necessary) · nl wezenlijk (of high importance) · pt essencial (necessary) · da essentiel (needing to be ingested) · sv nödvändig (necessary) · cmn 精華的 /精华的 (in basic form) · uk необхі́дний (necessary) · nl onontbeerlijk (necessary) · mt essenzjali (necessary) · ro fundamental (in basic form) · nl wezenlijk (necessary) · cmn 不可缺的 (necessary) · az zəruri (necessary) · gd deatamach (of high importance) · pt essencial (of high importance) · bn দরকার (necessary) · es menester (necessary) · fi tärkeä (necessary) · gd deatamach (necessary) · ka აუცილებელი (of high importance) · fi olennainen (necessary) · be ва́жны (of high importance) · nb essensiell (necessary) · ro necesar (necessary) · fr fondamental (in basic form) · hi विशिष्ट (of high importance) · fr indispensable (of high importance) · sl bistven (necessary) · cs nepostradatelný (necessary) · it necessario (necessary) · sk kľúčový (of high importance) · nl essentieel (in basic form) · bg съще́ствен (of high importance) · ca essencial (in basic form) · eo esenca (necessary) · de unverzichtbar (of high importance) · ga riachtanach (necessary) · fi välttämätön (of high importance) · nl onontbeerlijk (of high importance) · et vajalik (necessary) · ru фундамента́льный (in basic form) · nl noodzakelijk (necessary) · fi elintärkeä (of high importance) · gd riatanach (necessary) · fi oleellinen (of high importance) · cs hlavní (of high importance) · ta இன்றியமையாத (of high importance) · ru ба́зовый (in basic form) · sk nutný (necessary) · sl nujen (necessary) · fi tarpeellinen (necessary) · nl werkelijk (in basic form) · it fondamentale (of high importance) · ru основно́й (in basic form) · nl echt (in basic form) · it sobrio (in basic form) · bg осно́вен (in basic form) · cy angenrheidiol (necessary) · mhr тӱҥ (necessary) · id esensial (needing to be ingested) · ru ва́жный (of high importance) · de wesentlich (of high importance) · ja 不可欠な (necessary) · pt fundamental (in basic form) · id esensial (necessary) · cmn 要素 (of high importance) · nn essensiell (necessary) · ka არსებითი (of high importance) · it essenziale (in basic form) · bn প্রয়োজন (necessary) · hi आवश्यक (necessary) · ja 肝要 (of high importance) · mt essenzjali (in basic form) · fi perusluonteinen (in basic form) · az vacib (of high importance) · cmn 必要 (necessary) · cs esenciální (of high importance) · mt essenzjali (of high importance) · id esensial (in basic form) · ta அவசியமான (necessary) · pl zasadniczy (of high importance) · nl onmisbaar (necessary) · de essentiell (needing to be ingested) · fi normaali (in basic form) · nl essentieel (necessary) · cs nejpodstatnější (of high importance) · nl wezenlijk (in basic form) · bn ফরজ (necessary) · ro esențial (of high importance) · pl podstawowy (in basic form) · be істо́тны (of high importance) · it essenziale (of high importance) · az əhəmiyyətli (of high importance) · gd riatanach (of high importance) · mhr тӱҥ (of high importance) · ro de bază (in basic form) · cs nezbytný (necessary) · nl essentieel (of high importance) · cs nevyhnutelný (necessary) · et oluline (of high importance) · az labüd (necessary) · mi waiwai (of high importance) · sl bistven (of high importance) · fr essentiel (in basic form) · it indispensabile (necessary) · uk важли́вий (of high importance) · de notwendig (necessary) · cs esenciální (necessary) · io esencala (of high importance) · sk esenciálny (needing to be ingested) · sv essentiell (of high importance) · cs zásadní (of high importance) · nl nodig (necessary)

essential en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ɪˈsɛn.ʃəl/ (Canada, UK)
• /ɪˈsɛn.ʃəl/ (US)
• /əˈsɛn.tʃəl/ (US)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Late Latin essentiālis, from Latin essentia (“being, essence”).

Meanings

1. A necessary ingredient.
2. A fundamental ingredient.

Forms

Relateds

essence · essentials

Synonyms

must-have

Translations (22)

de Grundbestandteil (fundamental ingredient) · el στοιχειώδης (fundamental ingredient) · cs esence (fundamental ingredient) · de must-have (necessary ingredient) · fi olennainen ainesosa (fundamental ingredient) · fi tarpeellinen ainesosa (necessary ingredient) · de unverzichtbarer Bestandteil (necessary ingredient) · de [cook.) Zutat (necessary ingredient) · cmn 必要的 (necessary ingredient) · el ουσιώδης (necessary ingredient) · cs podstata (fundamental ingredient) · nl essentiële (fundamental ingredient) · de unverzichtbar (necessary ingredient) · sk esencia (fundamental ingredient) · de notwendiger Inhaltsstoff (necessary ingredient) · cmn 基本的 (fundamental ingredient) · cs jádro (fundamental ingredient) · cs nezbytnost (necessary ingredient) · el ουσιώδης (fundamental ingredient) · sk esencia (necessary ingredient) · el ουσιαστικός (necessary ingredient) · el ουσιαστικός (fundamental ingredient)