Antonyms of noun essential

1 sense of essential

Sense 1
necessity, essential, requirement, requisite, necessary -- (anything indispensable; "food and shelter are necessities of life"; "the essentials of the good life"; "allow farmers to buy their requirements under favorable conditions"; "a place where the requisites of water fuel and fodder can be obtained")
       Antonym of inessential (Sense 1)
      => inessential, nonessential -- (anything that is not essential; "they discarded all their inessentials")

Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun essential

1 sense of essential

Sense 1
necessity, essential, requirement, requisite, necessary -- (anything indispensable; "food and shelter are necessities of life"; "the essentials of the good life"; "allow farmers to buy their requirements under favorable conditions"; "a place where the requisites of water fuel and fodder can be obtained")
       => thing -- (a separate and self-contained entity)

Antonyms of adj essential

4 of 5 senses of essential

Sense 1
essential, indispensable -- (absolutely necessary; vitally necessary; "essential tools and materials"; "funds essential to the completion of the project"; "an indispensable worker")

INDIRECT (VIA necessary) -> unnecessary, unneeded -- (not necessary)

Sense 2
essential (vs. inessential) -- (basic and fundamental; "the essential feature")

inessential (vs. essential), unessential -- (not basic or fundamental)
        => accessorial -- (nonessential but helpful; "accessorial services included sorting and packing")
        => adscititious -- (supplemental; not part of the real or essential nature of a thing; "adscititious vowels")
        => incidental, nonessential -- (not of prime or central importance; "nonessential to the integral meanings of poetry"- Pubs.MLA)

Sense 3
all-important (prenominal), all important (predicate), crucial, essential, of the essence (predicate) -- (of the greatest importance; "the all-important subject of disarmament"; "crucial information"; "in chess cool nerves are of the essence")

INDIRECT (VIA important) -> unimportant -- (not important; "a relatively unimportant feature of the system"; "the question seems unimportant")

Sense 5
substantive (vs. adjective), essential -- (defining rights and duties as opposed to giving the rules by which rights and duties are established; "substantive law")


Similarity of adj essential

5 senses of essential

Sense 1
essential, indispensable -- (absolutely necessary; vitally necessary; "essential tools and materials"; "funds essential to the completion of the project"; "an indispensable worker")
       => necessary (vs. unnecessary) -- (absolutely essential)

Sense 2
essential (vs. inessential) -- (basic and fundamental; "the essential feature")
       => basal, primary -- (of primary importance)
       => biogenic -- (essential for maintaining the fundamental life processes; "sleep and food and water are among the biogenic needs of the organism")
       => constituent (prenominal), constitutional, constitutive (prenominal), organic -- (constitutional in the structure of something (especially your physical makeup))
       => must (prenominal) -- (highly recommended; "a book that is must reading")
       => no-frills (prenominal) -- (characterized by the absence of inessential features; "he got a no-frills introduction to the job")
       => staple -- (necessary or important, especially regarding food or commodities; "wheat is a staple crop")
       => substantial, substantive -- (having a firm basis in reality and being therefore important, meaningful, or considerable; "substantial equivalents")
       => virtual (prenominal) -- (existing in essence or effect though not in actual fact; "a virtual dependence on charity"; "a virtual revolution"; "virtual reality")
       => vital, life-sustaining -- (performing an essential function in the living body; "vital organs"; "blood and other vital fluids"; "the loss of vital heat in shock"; "a vital spot"; "life-giving love and praise")
          Also See-> crucial#1, important#3; important#1, of import#1; indispensable#1; intrinsic#1, intrinsical#1; necessary#1; primary#1; unexpendable#1

Sense 3
all-important (prenominal), all important (predicate), crucial, essential, of the essence (predicate) -- (of the greatest importance; "the all-important subject of disarmament"; "crucial information"; "in chess cool nerves are of the essence")
       => important (vs. unimportant), of import -- (of great significance or value; "important people"; "the important questions of the day")

Sense 4
essential -- (being or relating to or containing the essence of a plant etc; "essential oil")

Sense 5
substantive (vs. adjective), essential -- (defining rights and duties as opposed to giving the rules by which rights and duties are established; "substantive law")