essential
3 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of ESSENTIAL
[more essential; most essential]
1
:
extremely important and necessary
— often + to or for
— often followed by to + verb
— often + that
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As a fighter pilot, he knows that good vision is essential.
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Reservations are essential [=necessary, needed] if you plan to eat there on a Saturday.
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The river is essential to the region's economy.
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Food is essential [=necessary] for life.
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It is essential to use the proper technique.
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It's essential to arrive on time.
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It's essential that we arrive on time.
2
:
very basic
:
fundamental
-
Free speech is an essential right of citizenship.
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The essential problem with this plan is that it will cost too much.
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There's no essential difference between the two products.
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All action movies have essentially [=basically, fundamentally] the same plot.
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What he says is essentially true.
2
essential
/ɪˈsɛnʃəl/
noun
plural
essentials
2
essential
/ɪˈsɛnʃəl/
noun
plural
essentials
Britannica Dictionary definition of ESSENTIAL
[count]
:
something that is basic or necessary
:
something essential
— usually plural
-
the essentials for success
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He tried to teach them the essentials of physics in just a week.
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a computer stripped down to its essentials
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We only had enough room to pack the bare essentials. [=the things that are absolutely necessary]
