necessary condition

Cultural

In mathematics, a condition that must be satisfied for a statement to be true, but that does not in and of itself make it true. For example, a necessary condition to become president of the United States is that a candidate be over thirty-five years of age, but just being over thirty-five does not make one president.

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:

necessary condition

The necessary condition for Powell to leave is to clear up the legal matters.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026

They were told there was one necessary condition for winning the election: a good economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025

"Reducing inflation was a necessary condition, but it is not sufficient."

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025

This meant oxygen is a necessary condition for Candida growth.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2024

While food production was thus a necessary condition for the evolution or early adoption of writing, it was not a sufficient condition.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023