| Main Entry: |
essential |
| Part of Speech: |
noun |
| Definition: |
necessity, basic |
Synonyms: |
ABCs, bottom line, brass tacks,
condition,
element,
essence, fire and ice,
fundamental, groceries,
guts*,
heart, meat and potatoes,
must, name of the game, nitty-gritty, nuts and bolts, part and parcel, precondition,
prerequisite,
principle,
quintessence,
requirement,
requisite, rudiment, sine qua non,
stuff,
substance, vital part, where one's at
|
| Notes: |
the words crucial, essential, and vital cannot be qualified (cannot be more or less...) |
Antonyms: |
accessory, auxiliary, nonessential, subsidiary, throwaway, trivia
|
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
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