unnecessarily

adverb

un·​nec·​es·​sar·​i·​ly ˌən-ˌne-sə-ˈser-ə-lē How to pronounce unnecessarily (audio)
: not by necessity : to an unnecessary degree
unnecessarily harsh criticism

Examples of unnecessarily in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In voting to deny the measures, AQMD board member Janet Nguyen said the rule would unnecessarily penalize people by raising the cost of household appliances. Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025 Tesla 's plunge following CEO Elon Musk 's online feud with President Donald Trump on Thursday was unnecessarily severe and offers investors a good entry point, according to Tom Lee, Fundstrat's head of research. Alex Harring, CNBC, 6 June 2025 Its unreliability doesn't stop people from posting random images of its output on social media, where professional meteorologists often criticize the posts for unnecessarily hyping unrealistic scenarios. Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 4 June 2025 The Medicare Economic Security Solutions Act makes sure seniors who continued to work are not unnecessarily punished for missing confusing deadlines. Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for unnecessarily

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unnecessarily was in 1565

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Cite this Entry

“Unnecessarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unnecessarily. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

unnecessarily

adverb
un·​nec·​es·​sar·​i·​ly ˌən-ˌnes-ə-ˈser-ə-lē How to pronounce unnecessarily (audio)
1
: not by necessity
spent money unnecessarily
2
: to an unnecessary degree
an unnecessarily harsh punishment

More from Merriam-Webster on unnecessarily

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