absolutely necessary; indispensable: Discipline is essential in an army.
pertaining to or constituting the essence of a thing.
noting or containing an essence of a plant, drug, etc.
being such by its very nature or in the highest sense; natural; spontaneous: essential happiness.
Mathematics.
(of a singularity of a function of a complex variable) noting that the Laurent series at the point has an infinite number of terms with negative powers.
(of a discontinuity) noting that the function is discontinuous and has no limit at the point.Compare removable (def. 2).
noun
a basic, indispensable, or necessary element; chief point: Concentrate on essentials rather than details.
Origin of essential
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English essencial, from Late Latin essentiālis. See essence, -al1
SYNONYMS FOR essential
1 fundamental, basic, inherent, intrinsic, vital.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR essential ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR essential
2 incidental, extraneous, extrinsic; accidental.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR essential ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for essential
1. See necessary. 2. Essential,inherent,intrinsic refer to that which is in the natural composition of a thing. Essential suggests that which is in the very essence or constitution of a thing: Oxygen and hydrogen are essential in water.Inherent means inborn or fixed from the beginning as a permanent quality or constituent of a thing: properties inherent in iron.Intrinsic implies belonging to the nature of a thing itself, and comprised within it, without regard to external considerations or accidentally added properties: the intrinsic value of diamonds.
biochem(of an amino acid or a fatty acid) necessary for the normal growth of an organism but not synthesized by the organism and therefore required in the diet
derived from or relating to an extract of a plant, drug, etcan essential oil
logic(of a property) guaranteed by the identity of the subject; necessary. Thus, if having the atomic number 79 is an essential property of gold, nothing can be gold unless it has that atomic number
musicdenoting or relating to a note that belongs to the fundamental harmony of a chord or piece
pathol(of a disease) having no obvious external causeessential hypertension
geology(of a mineral constituent of a rock) necessary for defining the classification of a rock. Its absence alters the rock's name and classification
noun
something fundamental or indispensablea sharp eye is an essential for a printer
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Constituting or being part of the essence of something; inherent.
Basic or indispensable; necessary.
Of, relating to, or being a dysfunctional condition or a disease whose cause is unknown.
Of, relating to, or being a substance that is required for normal functioning but cannot be synthesized by the body and therefore must be included in the diet.