necessitous

[ nuh-ses-i-tuhs ]
See synonyms for: necessitousnecessitousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. destitute or impoverished; needy; indigent: to aid a necessitous young mother.

  2. being essential or unavoidable: a necessitous discharge of responsibilities.

  1. requiring immediate attention or action; urgent: the necessitous demands of the oil shortage.

Origin of necessitous

1
First recorded in 1605–15; necessit(y) + -ous

Other words from necessitous

  • ne·ces·si·tous·ly, adverb
  • ne·ces·si·tous·ness, noun
  • non·ne·ces·si·tous, adjective
  • non·ne·ces·si·tous·ly, adverb
  • non·ne·ces·si·tous·ness, noun
  • un·ne·ces·si·tous, adjective
  • un·ne·ces·si·tous·ly, adverb
  • un·ne·ces·si·tous·ness, noun

Words that may be confused with necessitous

Words Nearby necessitous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use necessitous in a sentence

  • The reasons for its adoption were, and are, still obviously wise, although not necessitous.

    Antonio Stradivari | Horace William Petherick
  • Alleviate the toil of the necessitous, but do not prevent their useful employment of time and means.

  • This venerable woman was prompt and undelaying in the relief she afforded to the necessitous.

  • He chose a night when a steady, blowing rain had driven all but limousined and most necessitous traffic from the streets.

  • Yet the cost of so formidable a journey would be far beyond this necessitous one's means.

    Kai Lung's Golden Hours | Ernest Bramah

British Dictionary definitions for necessitous

necessitous

/ (nɪˈsɛsɪtəs) /


adjective
  1. very needy; destitute; poverty-stricken

Derived forms of necessitous

  • necessitously, adverb

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