necessitate
Americanverb (used with object)
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necessitates,
present (3rd person singular)
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necessitated,
past participle, past
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necessitating
present participle
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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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necessitationnoun
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prenecessitateverb (used with object)
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necessitativeadjective
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unnecessitatedadjective
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unnecessitatingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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necessitatesimple
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necessitatessimple
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have necessitatedperfect
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has necessitatedperfect
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am necessitatingprogressive
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are necessitatingprogressive
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is necessitatingprogressive
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have been necessitatingperfect progressive
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has been necessitatingperfect progressive
Past
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necessitatedsimple
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had necessitatedperfect
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was necessitatingprogressive
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were necessitatingprogressive
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had been necessitatingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
He didn’t say which testosterone levels would necessitate treatment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
A feedback loop can be created where rising prices necessitate more buying to hedge options positions.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
And with a new 10-year strategy due to be announced this summer, there will be interest in whether missing a second major tournament will necessitate at least some scaling back of ambition.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 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
Joe threw his eye over them, and pronounced that the job would necessitate the lighting of his forge fire, and would take nearer two hours than one.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
This necessitates a fair amount of text and documentation on the walls, which can sometimes sink a show—but not in this case.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Beard's passing "necessitates the cancellation" of the band's tour dates this week in Utah and Colorado, the statement said.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
When it comes to AI, Hartnett has been a longstanding advocate of shorting AI bonds simply owing to the huge weight of issuance that well north of $ 1 trillion of capex necessitates.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
The county rejected the plan, saying it lacked specificity and necessitates “an elevated level of fiscal oversight.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
“Rats’ teeth continue to grow our entire lives, which necessitates gnawing to keep them at a manageable length.
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
Her surgery was necessitated after she had an ultrasound while filming the final scene of the documentary, and a problem in her gallbladder was found.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
His films so strongly defied categorization that they necessitated an eponymous term: Lynchian.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
His extended absence from filmmaking was necessitated by Adrian’s death in 2016 and the monumental torrent of confusion and emotional displacement that followed.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
That could further reward companies already monetizing the historic capital expenditures necessitated by the AI build-out and punish those still burning cash on promises, according to market analysts.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 19, 2026
In his era, even simple lacerations often left diabetics with savage infections that necessitated limb and digit amputations, a consequence of the disease’s ravaging effect on circulation and immunity.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Rushing’s injury will impact not only the catching corps but also the offense, necessitating a shift to defense-first catchers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
But suggested changes to the program often include increases in the retirement age, again necessitating longer, not shorter, careers to maintain one’s benefits.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
The building's systems detected an "air quality issue necessitating precautionary measures until we determine its significance," said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell in a statement.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
The initial restart was ahead of schedule, but months of inactivity allowed water to accumulate in parts of the mine, wetting the ore and necessitating new loading equipment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
More numbers: two visits from Gina and Malcolm, who flew into Miles City, Montana, and Bismarck, North Dakota, necessitating extra driving for Grandpa Ed but gaining them five nights total in actual motel beds.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
