Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

essential

1 adjective
     
es‧sen‧tial1 S2 W2
1 extremely important and necessary
essential for/to
A good diet is essential for everyone.
it is essential (that)
It is essential that our pilots are given the best possible training.
it is essential to do something
It is essential to book in advance.
Window locks are fairly cheap and absolutely essential.
Even in small companies, computers are an essential tool.
2 the essential part, quality, or feature of something is the most basic one:
The essential difference between Sam and me was the fact that I took life seriously.
The essential point of relay racing is that it is a team effort.
WORD FOCUS: important WORD FOCUS: important
similar words: main, key, chief, principal, leading, vital, crucial, essential, significant
not important: unimportant, trivial, minor, irrelevant, insignificant

➔ See also important
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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