essential meaning

essential means 'very important or necessary for something'.

essential :

necessary, very important

adjective

▪ Water is essential for life.

▪ Water is very important for life.

▪ It is essential to follow the rules.

▪ It is very important to follow the rules.

paraphrasing

▪ vital – necessary

▪ crucial – very important

▪ indispensable – cannot do without

▪ fundamental – basic and important

essential

essential :

necessity, important thing

noun

▪ Food and water are essentials for survival.

▪ Food and water are necessary for survival.

▪ The essentials of the plan were clear.

▪ The important parts of the plan were clear.

paraphrasing

▪ necessity – important thing

▪ requirement – needed thing

▪ basics – fundamental parts

▪ must-have – something needed

Pronunciation

essential [ɪˈsɛnʃəl]

The stress is on 'sen' and sounds like 'ih-sen-shuhl'.

Common phrases and grammar about essential

essential - Common meaning

adjective
necessary, very important
noun
necessity, important thing

Part of Speech Changes for "essential"

▪ essentially (adverb) – in an important way

▪ essence (noun) – the important part

Common Expressions with "essential"

▪ essential part – important part

▪ essential for health – necessary for health

▪ essential item – needed thing

▪ essential to understand – important to know

Important examples of essential in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC vocabulary questions, essential often means something very important or necessary.

▪Good communication is essential for teamwork.
▪Good communication is very important for teamwork.

Example of a confusing word: optional (not required)

▪Good communication is optional for teamwork.
▪Good communication is not required for teamwork.
"Essential" is an adjective meaning "absolutely necessary" or "extremely important." In the sentence "Good communication is essential for teamwork," it indicates that communication is a critical component. On the other hand, "optional" means "not required" or "voluntary," which completely changes the meaning of the sentence to suggest that communication is not necessary. This is incorrect in the context of teamwork, where communication is crucial. Therefore, "essential" is the correct choice.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

Essential is usually used as an adjective to describe something necessary, and appears in grammar questions to test adjective placement.

▪It is essential to arrive on time.
▪It is very important to arrive on time.

essential

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

essential services

'important services', often used in business or government contexts.

▪Essential services must continue during emergencies.
▪Important services must continue during emergencies.

get back to essentials

means 'focus on the important things'.

▪We need to get back to essentials in this project.
▪We need to focus on the important things in this project.

Differences between similar words and essential

essential

,

vital

differences

Essential means necessary for something to work well, while vital means absolutely necessary for life or success.

essential
▪It is essential to eat healthy food.
▪It is very important to eat healthy food.
vital
▪Water is vital for human survival.
▪Water is absolutely necessary for human survival.

essential

,

crucial

differences

Essential means necessary for something to function, while crucial means extremely important for success or failure.

essential
▪Good planning is essential for the project.
▪Timing is extremely important in this operation.
crucial
▪Timing is crucial in this operation.
▪Timing is extremely important in this operation.

Words with the same origin as essential

The origin of essential

essential comes from the Latin 'essentialis', which means relating to the essence or nature of something.

Word structure

It has the root 'essent' (being) and suffix 'ial' (related to), meaning 'related to being'.

Words with the same origin

The root of essential is essent (being). Words with the same root include essence (the nature of something).

Please select an image in the quiz

Quiz

question

Your score is

Previous post and next post

portable

portable

88
▪portable device
▪portable charger
adjective ┃
noun ┃
Views 4
portable

portable

88
easy to carry, movable
▪portable device – a gadget easy to carry
▪portable charger – a charger you can carry
adjective ┃
noun ┃
Views 4
essential

essential

89
▪essential part
▪essential for health
current
post
adjective ┃
noun ┃
Views 8
essential

essential

89
necessary, very important
▪essential part – important part
▪essential for health – necessary for health
adjective ┃
noun ┃
Views 8
consent

consent

90
▪give consent
▪obtain consent
noun ┃
verb ┃
Views 7
consent

consent

90
agreement, permission
▪give consent – to give permission
▪obtain consent – to get permission
noun ┃
verb ┃
Views 7
tentative

tentative

91
▪tentative agreement
▪tentative schedule
adjective ┃
Views 8
tentative

tentative

91
uncertain, not fixed
▪tentative agreement – a temporary agreement
▪tentative schedule – a schedule that is not fixed
adjective ┃
Views 8
respective

respective

92
▪respective roles
▪respective responsibilities
adjective ┃
Views 7
respective

respective

92
belonging to each one, separate
▪respective roles – each one's part
▪respective responsibilities – each one's duties
adjective ┃
Views 7
Same category words
occupation, satisfaction

essential

necessary, very important
current post
89

pursue

2063

invaluable

840

reliable

79

retiree

987
TOEIC_Vocabulary_List_PDF_PC
TOEIC_Vocabulary_List_PDF_Mobile

View All TOEIC PDFs

Visitors & Members
8+
HanVoca