needlessly
English
Etymology
Etymology tree
Inherited from Middle English nedelesly. By surface analysis, needless + -ly.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈniːdləsli/
Audio: (file)
Adverb
needlessly (comparative more needlessly, superlative most needlessly)
- In a needless manner.
- To a degree or extent beyond what is needed.
- He was always needlessly anxious about his dog.
- 1901, H. G. Wells, Anticipations[1], Chapman & Hall:
- At present that convenience is still needlessly expensive in Great Britain, and a scandalously stupid business conflict between telephone company and post-office delays, complicates, and makes costly and exasperating all trunk communications; but even under these disadvantages the thing is becoming a factor in the life of ordinary villadom.
- Without need.
- He worried needlessly about his dog.
- 2025 June 25, Mick LaSalle, “Review: ‘M3GAN 2.0’ is clever about AI, but its tired plot wastes a smart premise”, in San Francisco Chronicle[2], archived from the original on 5 June 2026:
- Ever since the industrial revolution, every generation has needlessly worried that, in the future, technology will fundamentally change what it means to be human.
Synonyms
Translations
in a needless manner
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Categories:
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *neh₂w-
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *leyg- (like)
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *lewh₁-
- English terms suffixed with -ly (adverbial)
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English adverbs
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