1. Absolutely necessary; vitally necessary
   "essential tools and materials"; "funds essential to the completion of the project"
   - indispensable 
2. Basic and fundamental
   "the essential feature" 
3. Of the greatest importance
   - all-important, all important, crucial, of the essence 
4. Being or relating to or containing the essence of a plant etc
   "essential oil" 
5. Defining rights and duties as opposed to giving the rules by which rights and duties are established
   - substantive

1. Anything indispensable
   "the essentials of the good life"
   - necessity, requirement, requisite, necessary

Derived forms: essentials

See also: basal, biogenic, constituent, constitutional, constitutive, crucial, essence, essentially, essentialness, important, indispensable, intrinsic, intrinsical, life-sustaining, must, necessary, no-frills, of import, organic, primary, staple, substantial, substantive, unexpendable, virtual, vital

Type of: thing

Antonym: inessential

Encyclopedia: Essential

• Phoenix dactylifera
• phoenix tree
• Pholadidae
• Pholas
• Pholidae
• Pholidota
• Pholiota
• Pholiota astragalina
• Pholiota aurea
• Pholiota destruens
• Pholiota flammans
• Pholiota flavida
• Pholiota nameko
• Pholiota squarrosa
• Pholiota squarrosa-adiposa
• Pholiota squarrosoides
• Pholis
• Pholis gunnellus
• Pholistoma
• Pholistoma auritum
• phon
• phonate
• phonation
• phone
• phone bill