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# needless

adjective (needless); adverb needlessly

«needless» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Not necessary, and often causing harm or waste that could have been avoided: «needless suffering». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/needless/#m1)
2. «Needless to say» means «as you would expect» or «it is obvious that…». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/needless/#m2)

### In the lessons

In stories and the news, «needless» warns that something bad did not have to happen: needless deaths, needless waste. In everyday talk «needless to say» introduces something obvious. Phrases: «needless to say», «needless waste», «needless risk», «needlessly cruel».

### Examples

- It was needless to leave the lights on all night. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/needless/#x1)
- Needless to say, we were very hungry after the long walk. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/needless/#x2)
- Wearing a helmet prevents needless injuries. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/needless/#x3)
- The fight caused needless pain. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/needless/#x4)
- He worried needlessly; the test was easy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/needless/#x5)
- Throwing away good food is a needless waste. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/needless/#x6)
- It is needless to say what the dragons were like, for nowadays everyone knows, and dragons are not things to joke about. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/needless/#x7)

### Note

Do not confuse with «needy» (poor, needing help) or «needles» (sewing pins, plural). «Needless to say» is a fixed phrase, often at the start of a sentence.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «needless» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/needless/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«needless» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/needless.html) on Mova free.