necessity

[ nuh-ses-i-tee ]

/ nəˈsɛs ɪ ti /

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See synonyms for: necessity / necessities on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural ne·ces·si·ties.

something necessary or indispensable: food, shelter, and other necessities of life.

the fact of being necessary or indispensable; indispensability: the necessity of adequate housing.

an imperative requirement or need for something: the necessity for a quick decision.

the state or fact of being necessary or inevitable: to face the necessity of testifying in court.

an unavoidable need or compulsion to do something: not by choice but by necessity.

a state of being in financial need; poverty: a family in dire necessity.

Philosophy. the quality of following inevitably from logical, physical, or moral laws.

OTHER WORDS FOR necessity

3 demand.

6 neediness, indigence, want.

See synonyms for necessity on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about necessity

of necessity, as an inevitable result; unavoidably; necessarily: Our trip to China must of necessity be postponed for a while.

Origin of necessity

1325–75; Middle English necessite<Latin necessitās, equivalent to necess(e) needful + -itās-ity

synonym study for necessity

3. See need.

OTHER WORDS FROM necessity

non·ne·ces·si·ty, noun, plural non·ne·ces·si·ties.su·per·ne·ces·si·ty, noun, plural su·per·ne·ces·si·ties.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use necessity in a sentence

At first, the doctors write, the villagers were “fearful and agitated,” lacking the basic necessities needed to survive.
1976 Vs. Today: Ebola’s Terrifying Evolution|Abby Haglage|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“It was this idea of prayer, and one of the necessities of the prayer pose being the blindfold,” he explained.
‘True Detective’s’ Godless Universe: Is the HBO Show Anti-Christian?|Andrew Romano|March 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The government is stuck between [strategic] necessities and its social/political aims,” he said.
Erdogan’s Foreign Policy Reset|Thomas Seibert|January 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Each month, he receives ¥300 ($50) in welfare payments, an amount insufficient to cover the bare necessities.
China Propagandizes Rape Of Nanjing Survivors|Brendon Hong|December 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST

At the margins, that means more people are able to pay for the necessities of life with their incomes.
The Phony Food-Stamp Scare|Daniel Gross|July 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He, who knows the dangers and necessities we were in, will appreciate the joy we felt and that we feel at its arrival.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Wasnt it wickedseeminglythat one should have so much money, while another needed the very necessities of life?
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
Meanwhile, the judicious establishment of free soup kitchens in the streets alleviated the necessities of the mob.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Surely a third class passenger is entitled at least to the bare necessities of life.
Third class in Indian railways|Mahatma Gandhi
Its folds are ample, to remind us that all who have recourse to her find a secure refuge in all dangers and necessities.
Mary, Help of Christians|Various

British Dictionary definitions for necessity

necessity

/ (nɪˈsɛsɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

(sometimes plural) something needed for a desired result; prerequisitenecessities of life

a condition or set of circumstances, such as physical laws or social rules, that inevitably requires a certain resultit is a matter of necessity to wear formal clothes when meeting the Queen

the state or quality of being obligatory or unavoidable

urgent requirement, as in an emergency or misfortunein time of necessity we must all work together

poverty or want

rare compulsion through laws of nature; fate

philosophy

a condition, principle, or conclusion that cannot be otherwise
the constraining force of physical determinants on all aspects of lifeCompare freedom (def. 8)

logic

the property of being necessary
a statement asserting that some property is essential or statement is necessarily true
the operator that indicates that the expression it modifies is true in all possible worldsUsual symbol: □, ∟

of necessity inevitably; necessarily

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with necessity

necessity

In addition to the idiom beginning with necessity

necessity is the mother of invention

also see:

make a virtue of necessity
of necessity

necessity

OTHER WORDS FOR necessity

Idioms about necessity

Origin of necessity

synonym study for necessity

OTHER WORDS FROM necessity

Words related to necessity

How to use necessity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for necessity

Other Idioms and Phrases with necessity