Meaning of essential in English

essential

adjective

/ɪˈsen.ʃəl/ uk

/ɪˈsen.ʃəl/

essential adjective (NECESSARY)

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necessary or needed:

Government support will be essential if the project is to succeed.

There is essential work to be done before the building can be re-occupied.

Water is essential for/to living things.

It is essential (that) our prices remain competitive.

[ + to infinitive ] For the experiment to be valid, it is essential to record the data accurately.

Synonyms

all-important
crucial
indispensable
vital (IMPORTANT)

Opposite

dispensable

More examplesFewer examples

The books on this list are essential reading for the course.
Fresh fruit and vegetables form an essential part of a healthy diet.
During the emergency, people stocked up on essential items like candles, medicines and cans of food.
It's essential that she has this medicine every day.
Computer literacy is becoming as essential as the ability to drive a car.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Essential or necessary

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essential adjective (BASIC)

relating to something's or someone's basic or most important qualities:

I love the building as it is, and don't want to do anything to change its essential character.

She believes in the essential goodness of human beings.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

basic knowledge, understanding, etc.

basicI just need some basic information.
elementaryI took Elementary Art History at the local community college.
fundamentalOne of the most fundamental principles of the rule of law is that one person cannot be punished for the actions of another.
rudimentaryThey have only the most rudimentary grasp of the language.
essentialWe have been able to determine the essential nature of a healthy diet.
underlyingThe underlying idea is that having freedom is valuable.

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More examplesFewer examples

Many people have misjudged our country and its essential nature.
Poetry should try to get at what is most essential about human experience.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Conditions and characteristics

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essential

noun [ C usually plural ]

/ɪˈsen.ʃəl/ uk

/ɪˈsen.ʃəl/

a basic thing that you cannot live without:

When we go on vacation, we only take the bare essentials.

This leaflet will give you the essentials of how to prepare for a hurricane.

Because I live in a remote village, I regard my car as an essential.

Synonyms

basics
first principles UK
foundation (BASIC FACT)
fundamentals
necessity
principle (IDEA)
requirement
requisite  formal
the rudiments

one of the basic or most important ideas or qualities in something:

Her brilliance allowed her to distill any argument to its essentials.

This was his life story stripped down to its barest essentials.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Important and essential things

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Conditions and characteristics

(Definition of essential from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

essential | Intermediate English

essential

adjective

/ɪˈsen·ʃəl/

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extremely important or necessary:

A knowledge of Spanish is essential for this job.

Essential also means basic to the nature of someone or something:

There is an essential difference between the two sisters in their approach to life.

essentially

adverb [ not gradable ] us

/ɪˈsen·ʃə·li/

Essentially she’s saying that she is not interested in seeing you again.

essential

noun [ C usually pl ]

/ɪˈsen·ʃəl/

the basic things you need to live:

The study estimated the cost of essentials for a family of four – its food, shelter, and clothing needs.

Essentials are also the basic or most important part of something:

the essentials of chemistry

(Definition of essential from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

essential | Business English

essential

adjective

/ɪˈsenʃəl/ us

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very important or necessary:

Computer literacy is becoming as essential as the ability to drive a car.

an essential component/part of sth Selective expansion of our store base is an essential component of our long-term plan.

essential for sth Formulating new strategies is essential for preparing the corporation to meet and sustain future needs.

it is essential (that) It is essential our prices remain competitive.

it is essential to do sth It is essential to research and protect your patent.

essential to sth Knowledge, skills, and creativity are essential to creating high-value products.

essential

noun [ C, usually plural ]

/ɪˈsenʃəl/ us

a basic thing that you cannot live or succeed without:

This leaflet will give you the essentials of how to use the word processor.

Goods that were once considered luxuries are now treated as essentials by many.

(Definition of essential from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of essential

essential

It's essential to learn from your success and your failures!

From Huffington Post

Indeed, promoters' obscuration of emerging technologies' past is essential to their future promise.

From Slate Magazine

The road is all about taking care of yourself, so my tour essentials are kind of boring.

From Billboard

Typically, essential services include police, fire fighting, armed forces, utilities and corrections.

From Huffington Post

That means that for these unpaired males, the offspring produced by extra-pair matings are essential.

From Phys.Org

So it's not that you can - that's why we say you can not simply pick and choose among the essential teachings of the church.

From NPR

To a molecular geneticist, evolution is the story of how essential genome structures and networks have changed over the history of life.

From Huffington Post

In humans, it plays an essential role in bone formation.

From Foreign Policy

Nearly 70 percent of college freshmen said it's very important or essential to help people in need, one of the highest rates since 1970.

From Washington Post

Cataloguing and indexing is also an essential ingredient.

From The Verge

So understanding what's essential and what's non-essential is key.

From Business Insider

Maintaining a population above 50,000 is essential to preserving the city's entitlement to federal neighborhood development dollars.

From Plain Dealer

Vote now to tell us which year from the 1990s contained the most essential music!

From Billboard

Close your pocketbook on all but essentials until the end of the month.

From TIME

Technically, all the essential parts work just like before.

From The Verge

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

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