unnecessarily
adverbattested in dialogue
In an unnecessary way; not by necessity.
adverb
- 1
In an unnecessary way; not by necessity.
He unnecessarily repeated much of what others had covered.
There be […] lords that can prate As amply and unnecessarily As this Gonzalo;
Pray let not any-body unnecessarily be acquainted with this shocking affair;
“Wait a moment,” said he, quite unnecessarily, for she could not have stirred;
- 2
To an extent beyond what is needed.
The food provided was unnecessarily generous, especially for an event meant to raise money for the hungry.
In the days of their [the Roman armies’] grandeur, when no enemy appeared capable of opposing them, their heavy armour was laid aside as unnecessarily burdensome, their laborious exercises were neglected as unnecessarily toilsome.
His absence was unnecessarily long.
About the turn of the century, the company had several ambitious and costly plans in hand—including direct lines to the West Country, South Wales and Birmingham—and so had no wish to incur additional expenditure unnecessarily.
Etymology
From unnecessary + -ly or un- + necessarily.
Forms
- comparative
- more unnecessarily
- superlative
- most unnecessarily