adv
Meaning 1
In a needless manner.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
needlessly
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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CMU ARPABET: N IY1 D L AH0 S L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adv
Meaning 2
To a degree or extent beyond what is needed.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- He was always needlessly anxious about his dog.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adv
Meaning 3
Without need.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- He worried needlessly about his dog.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adverb
Meaning 4
without need
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- it would needlessly bring badness into the world
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English needless Middle English -ly English -ly English needlessly From needless + -ly.
Across languages
Translations
10 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Hungarian: szükségtelenül — in a needless manner
- Irish: gan chall — in a needless manner
- Irish: gan fáth — in a needless manner
- Polish: niepotrzebnie — in a needless manner
- Portuguese: desnecessariamente — in a needless manner
- Russian: напрасно (naprasno) — in a needless manner
- Scottish Gaelic: gun fheum — in a needless manner
- Spanish: innecesariamente — in a needless manner
- Spanish: desnecesariamente — in a needless manner
- Spanish: por gusto — in a needless manner
Real reading context