un ‧ ne ‧ ces ‧ sa ‧ ry /ʌnˈnesəs ə ri $ -seri/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ necessity , the necessaries, the necessary; verb : ↑ necessitate ; adverb : ↑ necessarily ≠ ↑ unnecessarily ; adjective : ↑ necessary ≠ ↑ unnecessary ]
not needed, or more than is needed
unnecessary expense/cost/extravagance etc
an unnecessary expense
There’s no point in taking unnecessary risks.
We can’t afford any unnecessary delays.
Williams was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to animals
—unnecessarily /ʌnˈnesəs ə rəli $ ˌʌn-nesəˈserəli/ adverb :
I don’t want to worry you unnecessarily.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adverbs
▪ totally/completely/entirely unnecessary
The suffering of these animals is totally unnecessary.
▪ quite unnecessary British English
‘I’ll give you a lift.’ ‘Thank you, but that’s quite unnecessary.’
■ nouns
▪ unnecessary suffering
She admitted causing the dog unnecessary suffering.
▪ an unnecessary risk
Neither team is likely to take any unnecessary risks, so the result will probably be a draw.
▪ an unnecessary expense/cost
He thinks advertising is an unnecessary expense.
▪ an unnecessary extravagance (=something that costs more than is necessary or more than you can afford)
The chairman called first-class airline travel an unnecessary extravagance.