needlessly

needlessly — adverb

1. done or happening without any real purpose, often creating extra trouble or wast

1.副詞B2
釋義

done or happening without any real purpose, often creating extra trouble or waste when more thoughtful planning or action would have prevented the situation.

例句

Bao worried needlessly about the exam — he knew the material well.

modifies verb of worry/concern

The hospital kept patients waiting needlessly because of a scheduling error.

passive construction: kept [noun] waiting needlessly

同義詞
  • unnecessarily

    more general; needlessly implies the action could have been avoided, while unnecessarily can describe anything inessential

  • pointlessly

    stronger — suggests the action had no purpose at all, rather than just being avoidable

  • gratuitously

    more formal; implies the action was uncalled-for, often in a moral or social sense

反義詞

文法句型

[verb] needlessly

needlessly [adjective]

用法筆記

Most commonly modifies verbs such as worry, complain, repeat, complicate, or delay. Can also modify adjectives (e.g. needlessly cruel, needlessly complex) to indicate that the quality serves no useful function.

常見錯誤

❌She was needlessly to the store.
✅She went to the store needlessly.
💡needlessly modifies an action verb, not a state or direction.
❌It is needlessly hot outside.
✅The instructions were needlessly complex.
💡needlessly applies to things people create or control, not to natural phenomena.