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essential

/ɪˈsɛn.ʃəl/noun, adjective3 syllables

Essential means: basic and fundamental.

Synonyms for essential29

noun, as in anything indispensable

necessity, requirement, requisite, necessary

adjective, as in basic and fundamental

biogenic, constituent, constitutional, constitutive, organic, must, no-frills, staple, substantial, substantive, virtual, vital, life-sustaining, crucial
and 8 more, important, of import, indispensable, intrinsic, intrinsical, necessary, primary, unexpendable

adjective, as in of the greatest importance

all-important, all important, crucial, of the essence, important, of import

adjective, as in absolutely necessary; vitally necessary

indispensable, necessary

adjective, as in defining rights and duties as opposed to giving the rules by which rights and duties are established

substantive

also used for essential

must-have

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of essential

inessential

What does essential mean?6

adjective

1

basic and fundamental“the essential feature”

2

of the greatest importance“the all-important subject of disarmament”

3

absolutely necessary; vitally necessary“essential tools and materials”

4

defining rights and duties as opposed to giving the rules by which rights and duties are established“substantive law”

5

being or relating to or containing the essence of a plant etc“essential oil”

noun

1

anything indispensable“food and shelter are necessities of life”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with essential?14

three syllables

potentialsequentialprudential

five syllables

experiential
Show 40 near rhymes
secondlevelseveralquestionspecialparentspresentquestionscentralattentionelectionsevencreditmessagesectionwelcomeextralevelscollectionexpecteddevelopedsuccessfuldirectionindependentendedtexassecondsprotectionengineinvestmentmentalmentionedmetalchairmanmethodsenateconnectiondevelopweaponsmention

Essential in a sentence

  • The potato ricer, similar to the garlic press, is essential to making lefse.papabear
  • As human beings are social animals, friendship is an essential part of life.eastasiastudent
  • Robot technology advanced to the point where biological, organic parts became essential components.nonong
  • The most essential for our people are unity, interethnic consent, and political stability.unknown
  • Because, in the same way as painting, practice is essential for novels.qwerly
  • In chess, it is essential to know the legacy of the great chess players.carlosalberto
  • In the depths of winter, a hot-water bottle is essential.sundown
  • To best manage symptoms, refraining from consuming alcohol is essential.CM

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of essential

as a noun

plural
essentials