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I am looking to write a sentence trying to describe the opposite of must-have. The sentence is to be used in a professional setting.

For example, my sentence should look like:

My must-have for work is a laptop with a long battery life and my [opposite of must-have] is a loud environment.

So I am to describe what I really need (the must-have) and what I really do not need to be there (opposite of must-have).

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  • If you embrace the vulgar “must have”, I would have thought the opposite would be obvious.
    – David
    Jan 7 at 19:53
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    Clearly the opposite of a must-have is a must-haven't.
    – John Lawler
    Jan 7 at 23:33
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    bete noire, anathema, etc.
    – user405662
    Jan 8 at 5:27
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    My must-have for work is a laptop with a long battery life and my [opposite of must-have] is a loud environment. => I need a laptop with a long battery life and a quiet place to work. I think OP is looking for a negation for the wrong part of their demands, and has been led into that cul-de-sac by the horrid must-have.
    – High Performance Mark
    Jan 8 at 11:42
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    A clarification for potential further answerers: the OP mentions 'must-have' which is a newish slangy noun for 'a thing which one must have'. And they seek a counterpart noun for this if it exists as used by people.
    – Mitch
    Jan 8 at 20:11

3 Answers 3

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How about the noun deal-breaker?

My must-have for work is a laptop with a long battery life and my deal-breaker is a loud environment.

deal-breaker noun
2 something that would cause a person to abandon a plan, mutual arrangement, agreement, or relationship
Source: Dictionary.com

must-have noun
: something that is essential to have or obtain
Source: Merriam-Webster Online

(For doubters, both of these nouns are also in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

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  • This is the best fit in conjunction with must-have, and matches the general tone, context, and register, which is fairly casual but business/recruitment-related and office-appropriate.
    – Stuart F
    Jan 8 at 11:03
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My must-have for work is a laptop with a long battery life and my must-not-have is a loud environment.

In other words, the author is saying their workplace that must not have any loud noises.

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    I'm thinking that in Scotland the opposite of a musta has to be a musnae. :)
    – tchrist ♦
    Jan 8 at 15:56
  • @tchrist that sounds awfully plausible. I wouldnae put it past them!
    – Mari-Lou A
    Jan 8 at 15:58
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    'Don't-needs' can also be found on the internet ('opposite' being nebulous here) but I can't find dictionary support for either as yet.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Jan 8 at 16:18
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    @EdwinAshworth I could have written mustn't've that's in some dictionary somewhere but I opted for the hyphenated version which mirrored the author's expression and intention more clearly.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Jan 8 at 16:28
  • @Mari-LouA I came here to say this (or "mustn't-have") and it seems to me the most natural construction, but I don't think it has any currency yet (ie this is still in the neologism stage). Any evidence that people use this on the web?
    – Mitch
    Jan 8 at 20:14
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If you want a less strong word, you could call it a pet peeve.

Wiktionary defines it as follows

Something that is personally annoying; a personal dislike.

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