essential

(ĭ-sĕn'shəl)
adj.

1. Constituting or being part of the essence of something; inherent.
2. Basic or indispensable; necessary: essential ingredients. See synonyms at indispensable.
3. Medicine. Of, relating to, or being a dysfunctional condition or a disease whose cause is unknown: essential hypertension.
4. Biochemistry. Being a substance that is required for normal functioning but cannot be synthesized by the body and therefore must be included in the diet: essential amino acids.

n.

1. Something fundamental.
2. Something necessary or indispensable.

essentiality es·sen'ti·al'i·ty (-shē-ăl'ĭ-tē) or es·sen'tial·ness n.
essentially es·sen'tial·ly adv.

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adjective

1. Constituting or forming part of the essence of something: basic, constitutional, constitutive, fundamental, integral, vital. See be, surface/depth.
2. Of or being an irreducible element: basic, elemental, elementary, fundamental, primitive, ultimate, underlying. See surface/depth.
3. Incapable of being dispensed with: indispensable, necessary, needful, required, requisite. See important/unimportant, necessary/unnecessary.

noun

1. A fundamental irreducible constituent of a whole: basic, element, fundamental, rudiment (often used in plural). Idioms: part and parcel. See part/whole.
2. Something indispensable: condition, must, necessity, need, precondition, prerequisite, requirement, requisite, sine qua non. See necessary/unnecessary.

adj

Definition: basic, fundamental
Antonyms: atypical, minor, peripheral, secondary

adj

Definition: important, vital, necessary
Antonyms: accessory, auxiliary, inessential, minor, nonessential, optional, secondary, subsidiary, unimportant

n

Definition: necessity, basic
Antonyms: accessory, auxiliary, nonessential, subsidiary, throwaway, trivia

IN BRIEF: Most important or absolutely necessary.

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1. of or being the essence of something; inherent.
2. absolutely necessary, basic, fundamental, indispensable, vitally important.
3. necessary for the normal growth of an organism but either not synthesized by that organism or synthesized at an inadequate rate.
4. (in pathology) describing a clinical condition or disorder that is not attributable to any discernible cause; idiopathic (def. 1).
5. relating to or derived from an extract of a plant, especially as an essence.

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Next:	essential amino acid, essential fatty acid, essential fatty acid deficiency

1. constituting the necessary or inherent part of a thing; giving a substance its peculiar and necessary qualities.
2. indispensable; required in the diet, as essential fatty acids.
3. idiopathic; self-existing; having no obvious external exciting cause.

• e. fatty acids (EFAs) — the unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic and α-linolenic, cannot be synthesized by animals but are essential nutrients that must be supplied in the diet.
• e. fatty acid deficiency — in dogs and cats, there is scaling, alopecia and seborrhea. Poor wound healing, immunosuppression and infertility have also been reported.

For a list of words related to essentially, see:

• Approximations and Generalizations

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See words rhyming with "essential."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Essential.

Common misspelling(s) of essential

• essentual
• essesital
• essencial
• esential

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - uundværlig, basal, af afgørende betydning, essentiel, idiopatisk
n. - væsentlig forudsætning, absolut betingelse, hovedpunkt

Nederlands (Dutch)
essentieel, onmisbaar, wezenlijk, idiopathisch/ uniek (ziekte), hoofdzaak, onontbeerlijk iets

Français (French)
adj. - essentiel, indispensable à, capital, fondamental, de première nécessité, (Chim) essentiel
n. - qualité indispensable, l'essentiel, pour l'essentiel, de manière générale, rudiments

Deutsch (German)
adj. - erforderlich, wesentlich, notwendig
n. - Wesentliche, Hauptsache

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - ουσιαστικός, ουσιώδης, στοιχειώδης, απαραίτητος

Italiano (Italian)
essenziale, fondamentale

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - essencial

Русский (Russian)
неотъемлемая часть, предмет первой необходимости, обязательный, основной, существенный, незаменимый, определяющий

Español (Spanish)
adj. - esencial, indispensable, primordial, elemental
n. - elementos esenciales, esencia, lo esencial

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - absolut nödvändig, väsentlig, grundläggande, grund-

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
必要的, 本质的, 重要的, 要素, 本质, 要点

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 必要的, 本質的, 重要的
n. - 要素, 本質, 要點

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 본질의, 필수의
n. - 본질적 요소

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 欠くことのできない, 不可欠の, 本質的な, エキスの
n. - 本質的要素, 要点

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) جوهري, أساسي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮נחוץ, חיוני, יסודי, תמציתי, עיקרי‬
n. - ‮דבר או יסוד בסיסי או הכרחי‬

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