Needless
/ˈniːd.ləs/noun
Not necessary or required.
Did you know?Needless is a straightforward English formation from need + -less, and the suffix -less goes back to Old English -lēas, a real “lacking, deprived of” ending that can make ordinary words feel eerily hollow.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
nēad
“Need, necessity, compulsion, distress.”
Old English
OE
-lēas
“Lacking, free from, without.”
Middle English
ME
nedeles
“Without need; unnecessary.”
Modern English
EN
needless
“Not necessary or required.”