unnecessary

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʌnˈnɛs.ə.ɹɪ/; /ʌnˈnɛs.ə.s(ə)ɹɪ/, /ʌnˈnɛs.əˌsɛɹ.ɪ/ (UK); /ʌnˈnɛs.əˌsɛɹ.i/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from un- and necessary.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Needless, not required: the mid-15th century in Etymonline, the 15th century in MWU;^[2][3] 1548 in the OED.^[5]

Semantic evolution

As a plural noun, unnecessary things, it is from 1559.^[5] An obsolete sense, not requiring much, is from 1605.^[5] The colloquial come over all unnecessary, to become suddenly agitated or emotional, is from 1961.^[5]

Timeline

• mid-15th century – needless.^[2]
• 1559 – unnecessaries (noun).^[5]
• 1961 – come over all unnecessary.^[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Not necessary; needless.
2. More than is necessary; excessive: unnecessary force.

Word family

• unnecessarily
• unnecessariness

Related words

• necessary
• necessity
• need

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press