necessitate

American  

[nuh-ses-i-teyt] / nəˈsɛs ɪˌteɪt /

verb (used with object)

• necessitates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• necessitated,
  past participle,  past
• necessitating
  present participle

1. to make necessary or unavoidable.

   The breakdown of the car necessitated a change in our plans.

2. to compel, oblige, or force.

   The new wage demand will necessitate a price increase.

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necessitate British  

/ nɪˈsɛsɪˌteɪt /

verb

1. to cause as an unavoidable and necessary result

2. (usually passive) to compel or require (someone to do something)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• necessitation
  noun
• prenecessitate
  verb (used with object)
• necessitative
  adjective
• unnecessitated
  adjective
• unnecessitating
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• necessitating
  present
• necessitated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• necessitate
  simple
• necessitates
  simple
• have necessitated
  perfect
• has necessitated
  perfect
• am necessitating
  progressive
• are necessitating
  progressive
• is necessitating
  progressive
• have been necessitating
  perfect progressive
• has been necessitating
  perfect progressive

Past

• necessitated
  simple
• had necessitated
  perfect
• was necessitating
  progressive
• were necessitating
  progressive
• had been necessitating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will necessitate
  simple
• will have necessitated
  perfect
• will be necessitating
  progressive
• will have been necessitating
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

necessitate necessitates necessitated necessitating

A feedback loop can be created where rising prices necessitate more buying to hedge options positions.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 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

Danske’s Carsten Lonborg Madsen had pencilled in a revenue decline of between zero and minus 8% so the minus 5% to minus 13% range will necessitate a downgrade from him.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 4, 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

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 artificial intelligence, Hartnett has been a longstanding advocate of shorting AI bonds simply owing to the huge weight of issuance that capex of well north of $1 trillion necessitates.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Grade inflation in high school necessitates grade inflation at universities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

Those art forms cost more to produce and can’t be widely distributed like films can, which necessitates higher price points.

From Salon ● Mar. 11, 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 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

The pivot from sculpture to video games was necessitated by current events, said a member of the group.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

He understood that Alvin’s case necessitated his appearing twice at the trial, but on the other hand he wasn’t glad about it.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

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

Electrification and green energy are increasing power demand, necessitating grid investments.

From Barron's ● May 27, 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

Hildreth said his client wrote a reimbursement check right away but that it was lost, necessitating a second, backdated check.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025

Besides, it’s the girlfriend in the ICU that’s necessitating Adam’s ruse to begin with.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

• constrain
• entail
• require