unnecessarily

English

Etymology

unnecessary +‎ -ly

Adverb

unnecessarily (comparative more unnecessarily, superlative most unnecessarily)

1. In an unnecessary way; not by necessity.

   Synonyms: needlessly, pointlessly, uselessly, for no reason

   He unnecessarily repeated much of what others had covered.

   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     There be […] lords that can prate
     As amply and unnecessarily
     As this Gonzalo;

   • 1753, Samuel Richardson, The History of Sir Charles Grandison‎, London, Volume 1, Letter 33, p. 235:

     Pray let not any-body unnecessarily be acquainted with this shocking affair;

   • 1864 August – 1866 January, [Elizabeth] Gaskell, “A Crisis”, in Wives and Daughters. An Every-day Story. , volume I, London: Smith, Elder and Co., , published 1866, →OCLC, pages 113-114:

     “Wait a moment,” said he, quite unnecessarily, for she could not have stirred;

   • 1950, C. S. Lewis, chapter 17, in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe‎, New York: Macmillan:

     […] they made good laws and kept the peace and saved good trees from being unnecessarily cut down,

2. To an extent beyond what is needed.

   Synonym: unduly

   The food provided was unnecessarily generous, especially for an event meant to raise money for the hungry.

   • 1776, Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations‎, London: W. Strahan and T. Cadell, Volume 2, Book 5, Part 1, pp. 307-308:

     In the days of their [the Roman armies’] grandeur, when no enemy appeared capable of opposing them, their heavy armour was laid aside as unnecessarily burdensome, their laborious exercises were neglected as unnecessarily toilsome.

   • 1814 July, [Jane Austen], chapter XI, in Mansfield Park: , volume II, London: T Egerton, , →OCLC, page 245:

     His absence was unnecessarily long.

   • 2007, Alan Bennett, The Uncommon Reader‎, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, published 2008, page 28:

     […] it seemed that she used his name unnecessarily often,

Antonyms

• necessarily

Related terms

• unnecessary
• necessarily

Translations