necessitate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make necessary or unavoidable.
The breakdown of the car necessitated a change in our plans.
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to compel, oblige, or force.
The new wage demand will necessitate a price increase.
verb
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to cause as an unavoidable and necessary result
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(usually passive) to compel or require (someone to do something)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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unnecessitatingadjective
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necessitativeadjective
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necessitationnoun
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prenecessitateverb (used with object)
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unnecessitatedadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has necessitatedperfect 3rd person singular
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have necessitatedperfect
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have been necessitatingperfect progressive
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are necessitatingprogressive
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has been necessitatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am necessitatingprogressive 1st person singular
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necessitatessingular 3rd person
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necessitatingparticiple
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is necessitatingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had necessitatedperfect
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was necessitatingprogressive singular
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had been necessitatingperfect progressive
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were necessitatingprogressive plural
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necessitatedparticiple
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necessitatedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of necessitate
1620–30; < Medieval Latin necessitātus, past participle of necessitāre to compel, constrain. See necessity, -ate 1
Explanation
The verb necessitate shows that something is necessary or needs to happen, as when a sweet tooth can necessitate a trip to the store for a triple-scoop ice cream — which will necessitate a trip to the gym. Synonyms for necessitate are "require" and "force." Although what's required may be serious, necessitate also just labels things that follow naturally from one step to another. A dead car battery might necessitate a long walk home, or your completion of skills tests might necessitate moving up to the next level. Necessitate commonly replaces "need" when doctors talk about treatment, so while your scraped knee might need a big bandage, it may "necessitate treatment with antibiotics" if you go to a clinic.
Vocabulary lists containing necessitate
Metamorphosis
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Price increases due to the conflict, however, "could necessitate maintaining the current policy stance for longer than previously anticipated," the latest meeting's minutes said.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
The war might also necessitate a boost to fiscal spending, which could weigh on bonds while delivering a shot in the arm to the broader economy, at least in the short term.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
This will actually necessitate hiring more teachers, and the government put aside £40m for recruitment next year.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
The allegations against Cesar Chavez represent a definitive puncturing of the myth surrounding the civil rights icon and necessitate a comprehensive reckoning with how Latino communities elevated him despite warning signs of moral failings.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
I tried to choose a figure that would not sound too drastic yet would necessitate my coming back to fill in the gaps.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
