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Adjective: essential  u'sen-shul or i'sen-shul
  1. Absolutely necessary; vitally necessary
    "essential tools and materials"; "funds essential to the completion of the project";
    - indispensable
     
  2. Of the greatest importance
    "the essential subject of disarmament";
    - all-important, all important, crucial, of the essence
     
  3. Basic and fundamental
    "the essential feature"
     
  4. Being or relating to or containing the essence of a plant etc
    "essential oil"
     
  5. (law) defining rights and duties as opposed to giving the rules by which rights and duties are established
    "essential law";
    - substantive
Noun: essential  u'sen-shul or i'sen-shul
  1. Anything indispensable
    "the essentials of the good life";
    - necessity, requirement, requisite, necessary

Derived forms: essentials

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

Type of: thing

Antonym: inessential, procedural, unessential

Encyclopedia: Essential