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

• organic light-emitting diode
• organic phenomenon
• organic process
• organic structure
• organically
• organicism
• organicistic
• organification
• organisable
• organisation
• organisation chart
• Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
• Organisation of Petroleum-Exporting Countries
• Organisation of the Oppressed on Earth
• organisational
• organisational chart
• organise
• organised
• organised crime
• organised labour
• organised religion
• organiser
• organism
• organismal
• organismic