necessary

[ nes-uh-ser-ee ]
/ ˈnɛs əˌsɛr i /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR necessary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

being essential, indispensable, or requisite: a necessary part of the motor.
happening or existing by necessity: a necessary change in our plans.
acting or proceeding from compulsion or necessity; not free; involuntary: a necessary agent.
Logic.
  1. (of a proposition) such that a denial of it involves a self-contradiction.
  2. (of an inference or argument) such that its conclusion cannot be false if its supporting premises are true.
  3. (of a condition) such that it must exist if a given event is to occur or a given thing is to exist.Compare sufficient(def 2).

noun, plural nec·es·sar·ies.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU FEEL THE WEAL WITH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ?

Did you collect all of last week’s words, but eftsoons forget what they mean? Don’t worry, we’re here to jog your memory. See how many words from the week of May 18 to 24 you can get right!
Question 1 of 7
weal
well-being, prosperity, or happiness.
the intervening time.
a somewhat prolonged, sharp, shrill cry, as of pain, fear, or surprise.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of necessary

1300–50; Middle English necessarie < Latin necessārius unavoidable, inevitable, needful, equivalent to necess(e) (neuter indeclinable adj.) unavoidable, necessary + -ārius -ary

SYNONYMS FOR necessary

1 required, needed. Necessary, essential, indispensable, requisite indicate something vital for the fulfillment of a need. Necessary applies to something without which a condition cannot be fulfilled or to an inevitable consequence of certain events, conditions, etc.: Food is necessary to life. Multiplicity is a necessary result of division. Indispensable applies to something that cannot be done without or removed from the rest of a unitary condition: Food is indispensable to living things. He made himself indispensable as a companion. Something that is essential forms a vitally necessary condition of something: Air is essential to red-blooded animals. It is essential to understand the matter clearly. Requisite applies to what is thought necessary to fill out, complete, or perfect something: She had all the requisite qualifications for a position.
5 requirement, requisite, essential.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR necessary ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM necessary

nec·es·sar·i·ness, nounqua·si-nec·es·sar·y, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH necessary

necessary necessitous (see synonym study at the current entry)

Words nearby necessary

necator, necatoriasis, necessarian, necessaries, necessarily, necessary, necessary condition, necessary stool, necessitarian, necessitarianism, necessitate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to necessary

unavoidable, mandatory, fundamental, urgent, indispensable, required, crucial, needed, vital, imperative, significant, basic, paramount, decisive, imminent, certain, prime, binding, chief, pressing

Example sentences from the Web for necessary

British Dictionary definitions for necessary

necessary
/ (ˈnɛsɪsərɪ) /

adjective

noun

the necessary informal the money required for a particular purpose
do the necessary informal to do something that is necessary in a particular situation
See also necessaries

Word Origin for necessary

C14: from Latin necessārius indispensable, from necesse unavoidable
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012