essential Meaning & Definition
What Does Essential Mean?
Essential is an adjective that means Necessary. It is also used to mean Very important; of high importance. As a noun, it means A necessary ingredient.
Essential in Brief
| Part of speech | adjective, noun |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | //ɪˈsɛn.ʃəl// |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | substantial, crucial and important |
| Antonyms | adjective, inessential and nonessential |
| Plural | essentials |
| Comparative / superlative | more essential, most essential |
Essential Definition (Adjective)
- Necessary.
- Very important; of high importance.
I see it as essential that there should be somewhere to park.
- Necessary for survival but not synthesized by the organism, thus needing to be ingested.
- Being in the basic form; showing its essence.
Don’t mind him being grumpy. That’s the essential Fred.
- Really existing; existent.
- Such that each complementary region is irreducible, the boundary of each complementary region is incompressible by disks and monogons in the complementary region, and no leaf is a sphere or a torus bounding a solid torus in the manifold.
(Can we add an example for this sense? (difference between 1 and 2))
- Idiopathic.
essential blepharospasm
- Having the nature of essence; not physical.
Essential as a Noun
- A necessary ingredient.
- A fundamental ingredient.
(Can we add an example for this sense?)
Synonyms of Essential
Antonyms of Essential
Essential in a Sentence
I see it as essential that there should be somewhere to park.
Don’t mind him being grumpy. That’s the essential Fred.
(Can we add an example for this sense? (difference between 1 and 2))
essential blepharospasm
(Can we add an example for this sense?)
Word Forms & Grammar
essential (comparative more essential, superlative most essential)
essential (plural essentials)
Words That Rhyme With Essential
Origin of Essential
From Late Latin essentiālis, from Latin essentia (“being, essence”).
How to Pronounce Essential
The standard pronunciation of essential is //ɪˈsɛn.ʃəl//, spoken in 1 syllable.
Common Questions About Essential
Is essential an adjective or a noun?
Essential is mainly used as an adjective, but it can also be used as a noun.
What is another word for essential?
You can replace essential with words such as substantial, crucial and important. See the full list of essential synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of essential?
The opposite of essential can be expressed with words like adjective, inessential, nonessential and procedural.
What is the plural of essential?
The plural of essential is essentials.
What are the comparative and superlative forms of essential?
The comparative form is more essential and the superlative form is most essential.