word choice - What's the distinction between "nonessential" and "inessential"?


I'm revising a text that uses the word "nonessential", but my ear is telling me "inessential." Usually when there are two very similar words like this, there is some subtle (or not so subtle) distinction between them. Does anyone know what it is, and if so, can you cite any authorities who discuss the distinction?



Answer



Non-essential means not absolutely necessary, whereas inessential is more disapproving and can connote trivial.


According to Oxford Dictionaries Online, the prefix non- expresses a neutrally negative sense when added to adjectives, especially when the prefix in- has a special (I would say strongly negative) connotation. Another example is non-human (= not human) and inhuman (= cruel).


http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/non-?q=non-


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