CEFR B2
needless
adjective
Meaning
Not necessary or required; unwanted.
Examples
- His intervention was needless and only made the situation worse.
- The company made needless cuts to its staff, harming morale.
Synonyms: unnecessary, superfluous, gratuitous, redundant
Phrases for needless
Natural phrases and collocations with needless. See examples, avoid awkward combinations, and learn how to use needless in context. Not necessary or required; unwanted.
Common patterns
Use these patterns to build complete sentences, not just isolated word combinations.
- needless to say (idiom): It is obvious or expected, so it does not need to be stated.
Needless to say, the event was a great success.
- needless to add (idiom): It is obvious or expected and therefore does not require explicit mention.
Needless to add, everyone was relieved when the crisis was over.
Natural collocations
These combinations are useful as ready-made chunks. The examples show how each one works in context.
- needless to say
Needless to say, he was very happy with the results.
- needless worry
She tried to avoid needless worry by planning ahead.
- needless to add
Needless to add, the team celebrated their victory.