of necessity

Idioms  

1. Also, out of necessity. As an inevitable consequence, unavoidably, as in the New Testament: “Of necessity he must release one unto them at the Feast” (Luke 23:17). [Late 1300s]

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Example Sentences

Blockaders even developed a legal argument to justify their actions, drawing on the common law defense of necessity, which allows someone to break a law to achieve a greater moral good.

From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026

You have to love how the university spins virtue out of necessity.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

"We do it out of necessity as well as philosophy. I think other clubs would like to spend more, but in our case it's not part of our identity."

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

People in your position, who don’t need their RMDs, usually do this for tax reasons rather than out of necessity.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

They kept to themselves as much as possible, gardening, raising chickens and pigs and goats and even some sheep, only going down the slope to the village out of necessity.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Related Words

• automatically
• naturally
• no doubt
• undoubtedly
• unquestionably